The Life of Charlotte Amelia Hudson

A/N: Hey all. I haven't posted anything in a while, but I figured here was my chance. I have been planning this story since I was in college. I started hand writing this story just over three years ago, and I just finished writing like a month ago.

Just a heads up. These chapters are written more like snippets for the month. Some are long, some are short. I am happy to answer any questions that might not have gotten answered in this story. The story is written in its entirety, so I am not going to be changing any details unless there is a continuity problem. But I hope you enjoy this story.

I will say, I know that Finn is dead in the series, obviously this is AU, and the way I think my story should go. Please don't read it if this topic or pairing is upsetting, because I don't appreciate reviews that tell me I'm a horrible person for writing a 'ship that they don't like. Otherwise, enjoy!

Chapter 1

November – sophomore year – age 16

Finn Hudson was a fairly typical, mid-western, high school sophomore. He was tall, pretty well built for his age, not bad on the eyes, and, underneath his jock exterior, was smarter than he let on. Finn played varsity quarterback for the football team of William McKinnley High School. He was currently dating the head cheerleader, and fellow sophomore, Quinn Fabray; and what a striking couple they made together. This was what was expected of him. There were no real demands on him, especially since his teachers let his work slide a little bit because of his sports status. Life couldn't have been going any better for him... or so he thought. Life was full of highs that he really enjoyed, but he was about to experience some lows like he never imagined he would have to suffer.

It had been October when Quinn Fabray told him she was pregnant with his child. Granted, this was really shocking news, but Finn was secretly a little bit pleased. This thought of a little boy who looked like him, who he could teach how to play football, or a little girl who looked like Quinn and would wrap her Daddy around her little fingers had him all giddy inside. He wouldn't have guessed that this moment would have come while he was still so young himself, but he did want kids; more than likely in the future. But this little image Finn had conjured in his imagination would come crashing down around his ears. Quinn decided all on her own that they would be putting the baby up for adoption, Finn nearly fell to the floor. He managed to keep himself together enough until he walked home; albeit, he looked like a zombie by the way he was walking, but not losing control enough for people to stop him and wonder why. Carol was home on her day off when she saw her son come inside and practically collapse onto the couch.

"Finn?!" Carol called out worriedly. She dropped the hand towel she was using to dry her dishes and ran over to where Finn was bent double on the couch, hyperventilating. Carol honestly thought there was physically something wrong with her son by his outward behavior. When she realized that he was just crying into his hands, she took an intuitive leap that something that would have to do with Quinn and the baby. Carol was still trying to fully wrap her head around the fact that Quinn was pregnant, but from what she could tell, Finn was stepping up and try to make things work out. "Finn, baby, what's the matter?" It took a few minutes for Finn to pull himself together enough to speak. Even then his voice was thick with emotion.

"She's giving the baby up," Finn said, monotone. "She just wants to give away my baby."

"Quinn told you that she's giving up the baby?" Carol said, in shock... not her grandbaby. "Did you two at least talk this over?"

"No," Finn said angrily, roughly brushing tears away from his face. He was pissed off at Quinn, and pissed that he was crying in front of his mother. That just wasn't something he wanted to do, but it was also something that he couldn't quite control at this particular moment. "She just told me that she's getting rid of the thing that's going to make her look like a whale, since she's against abortion, and it's too late to do that anyway."

"Quinn has no right to make that kind of decision by herself," Carol said quietly, rubbing Finn's back soothingly. While Carol wasn't exactly thrilled at the fact that Finn got his girlfriend pregnant at 16, she was secretly in love with her future grandchild already. She could feel the tears stinging at her own eyes at this outrageous news. Carol was quietly seething with anger at the blonde cheerleader.

"I know I'm only 16, but I know that I can do this. I can take care of this baby. I don't ever want that baby to grow up and think that I've never cared about them, that I never loved them."

"You really want this?" Carol asked, leaning back to look at her son's face. He was blotchy from crying but his face held such determination.

"I've never wanted anything more than this," Finn said, looking at his mother with sheer determination in his eyes. "I want to keep this baby more than I want to meet Dad." This struck quite a chord with Carol. He always wanted to have met his Dad. Christopher died when Finn was only a few weeks old. For him to want something more was well and truly serious.

"Then I'm calling you out sick tomorrow. We are going to the Department of Youth and Family Services to see what your options are," Carol said definitively. She knew Finn was a good kid, and not only because he was her son. Mistakes happen. He wanted to take responsibility for his actions. This was the best way he knew how. Even as a small child, Finn was far more demonstrative when it came to fixing things. He would help someone up from off the ground before being reminded to apologize; that thought made her internally smile.

"Thank you so much!" Finn cried, nearly knocking his mother over with the force of his hug. When Carol went back to the kitchen to start making dinner, Finn took out a notebook and pen.

1. Talk to DYFS worker

2. Talk to teachers about grades

3. Talk to Sue Sylvester and Coach Beiste for help

4. Get a job

Not bad for a basic to do list to get him started in the right direction. He flipped to the next page and wrote out a journal entry of sorts. He wanted to remember all the weird things that Quinn did throughout this pregnancy, in case it helped him down the road. Carol looked on from the kitchen, very proud of her son today. Finn then went over to the desk top computer that was set up in the 'office' type extension of their living room. Carol had set it up for him when he hit high school.

Finn logged on to Facebook and found the page of Kurt Hummel. He knew that Kurt's Dad owned the car service center in town. Maybe he could get trained there and have somewhat of a stable job.

From Finn Hudson: Hey

From Kurt Hummel: What do you want?

From Finn Hudson: I need your help.

From Kurt Hummel: Again I ask, what do you want?

From Finn Hudson: Would you and your Dad come to dinner at my house tomorrow? It's easier to explain everything in person. And I won't be in school tomorrow dude.

From Kurt Hummel: Don't call me dude! And I'll ask. This had better not be a joke again.

From Finn Hudson: Cool, and sorry about the dude.

Finn looked at his computer and saw his mother watching him. "Hey Mom, I kinda invited someone to dinner tomorrow."

"Tell Quinn I don't have any salad left," Carol said drolly. It was abundantly clear that Carol no longer felt the need to be even remotely nice about or to Quinn. This was something that she felt was unable to get past.

"Not Quinn, Kurt Hummel and his Dad," Finn said. "Burt has the car place in town. It would be a good place to start looking for a job."

"I never would have thought about asking Burt for a job," Carol said, her eyes widening slightly. Finn was really thinking about jobs and it made her feel like a proud momma.

"Yeah, and honestly, I need someone like Kurt on my side. He can see things about Quinn that I wouldn't be able to," Finn reasoned. "And I need to apologize for all the stuff we did to him last year."

"It will be no problem for them to come over," Carol said. "Be sure to ask Kurt if either one of them have any food allergies."

"I will," Finn said, looking back to check if Kurt replied back.

From Kurt Hummel: My Dad and I accept your invitation. What time?

From Finn Hudson: 7 ok? And do either of you guys have any food allergies?

From Kurt Hummel: None that we know of. Thank you for the invitation. Why won't you be in school tomorrow?

From Finn Hudson: It's nothing bad, I promise. But I'll explain it all when you come over.

From Kurt Hummel: Okay, good night.

Kurt Hummel is offline

"Finn, honey, dinner's ready!" Carol called from the kitchen. Finn logged off Facebook and joined his mom.

"Kurt accepted. Dinner at 7 tomorrow," Finn said as they ate the fish that Carol had steamed up.

"Good. We'll pick up something at the store on the way home tomorrow," Carol decided. "What else is on that list of yours?"

"Well, I need to talk to my teachers, so I can get my grades up," Finn began. "I figure it couldn't hurt. I should get some help from Coach Sylvester and Coach Beiste."

"That's definitely a good idea," Carol said, smiling. "I will help you in whatever way I can."

"Thanks Mom," Finn said, smiling in return.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Carol and Finn got up early for breakfast the next day. Finn cooked the food while Carol called him out of school. They drove the half hour to the DYFS building. Since they got there early, someone was able to meet with them right away. They were directed to an office down the hall from the reception area. The door was still open and its' occupant was getting her desk ready for the day.

"Hi there, I'm Wende Hench, what can I help you with today?" A young, sharply dressed, black woman greeted them. Carol nudged Finn to begin. He looked extremely nervous.

"I have some custody questions," he began, his nerves penetrating his speech.

"Okay, why don't you tell me what's going on?" She got out her notebook and a pen. There was a small smile on her face, trying to put him at ease, and it was kind of working.

"Well, my name is Finn Hudson. I'm 16 and my girlfriend is pregnant. She is due in March some time. She just told me that she wants to give the baby away. She just wants to go back to being popular."

"Did she say that, or is she just trying to be realistic about being 16 and pregnant?" Wende asked. She didn't want to seem mean, but she needed all of the facts, not just misconstrued conversations. She also needed to ask some hard questions to get the whole picture.

"No, she said that," Finn said earnestly. He pulled out the notebook he had started last night. "She said she didn't want this F***ing baby. It was already ruining her life because everyone thought she looked like a whale already." Wende peered over at the notebook, quirking her eyebrow. This simple act impressed her beyond her initial observations of the young man.

"Okay, the next couple of questions I'm going to ask, they may seem pretty personal, but the answers might help you," Wende prompted, hopefully encouraging truth with her tone. Finn nodded. "Did you use contraception when you had sex?"

"I used a condom, and she said she was taking care of it on her end, but little did I know that she was just praying that she didn't get pregnant," Finn grunted. He was genuinely pissed off at himself that he had taken her at her word for the extra protection. He knew that he did what he needed to do, but he was still a teenage boy. Finn knew that sex could lead to a child and that condoms weren't totally preventative, but he never figured that it wouldn't have worked.

"Again, I need to ask this question," Wende began. "I need to know if this was a consensual sexual encounter, on either part."

"Well, she is the captain of the celibacy club, but everyone knew that she wasn't celibate," Finn started. "That could go against us, but she was the one that pretty much brow beat me into it. Not that it was too hard, because I am a teenage boy, but still, it was mainly her idea. We were dating because that's what was expected of us. She made captain of the Cheerios – that's our cheerleading squad – and I am the starting quarterback of the football team. So she came on to me, and I thought it was because she genuinely liked me, but I was wrong. She was dating me to get popular. And now that she's pregnant, I'm sure that she will try and come up with anything to keep this baby from me. She's been very vindictive lately."

"And you want custody? That's a huge responsibility." Wende pointed out. Not all young people realized what a big sacrifice it was to have a child at that age. But there was something about this kid that struck Wende; a gut feeling of sorts.

"I haven't wanted anything more in my life that I do now. I know I'm young, and this wasn't exactly planned, but I'm already turning my life upside down for this baby. That's why we are meeting with you. I need to be able to get custody. She will go crazy if she finds out, just to keep the baby away from me."

"I see here you are looking for a job," Wende said, smiling on the inside at this young man's determination. His notebook was just his simple to do list, and a few stories about Quinn, but it was nothing if not a thorough start. Not many men came in here for custody and none of them were this prepared.

"I'm actually working on that tonight. My friends' Dad owns a car service center. I figured that if I start working now, I can pick up some skills and make some money before the baby is born."

"That's definitely a good start," Wende agreed. She made a few more notes in her notebook and smiled while doing so.

"And I'm gonna talk to my teachers and have help getting my grades up. I'm actually really going to try," Finn said.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said. "You're gonna need a job, do well in school, start looking into child care. I also would like for you to keep this notebook. If your girlfriend is as, for lack of a better word, unstable, as you say she is, then that will only help you down the road."

"I was going to do that anyway," Finn said. "I'm honestly trying to keep up appearances with her. She isn't the person I started dating last year."

"I am certainly glad that you're being proactive about this," Wende said. "Keep recording her actions as well as what you've planned. I would certainly like to stay in touch with you, Finn. Once a month if possible. Here is my card, I'm here Monday thru Friday, from 9-5, and my personal cellphone number is on the back. When the time gets closer for your girlfriend to give birth, we will be talking much more frequently. I suspect then we will have to get a family lawyer involved, and get the ball rolling from there."

"Thank you so much, Ms. Hench," Finn said, a big smile on his face. He stood up and shook her hand in gratitude. Wende knew deep down in her gut that Finn Hudson was going to have things work out in his favor; it would be her personal mission to help him out as much as she can. As soon as they left, she got on the phone to her college friend, Samantha Carter, esq.

"Hey, Sam, how are you?" Wende began, a smile on her face. Things were looking up.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Carol was quite satisfied about their visit. They had some answers as well as some homework. When they got back home, Finn emailed his teachers, asking to meet with them after school tomorrow. He also asked to meet with Coach Beiste and Coach Sylvester during his study hall in either one of their offices. Sue responded almost immediately, and letting him know to use her office. While Sue Sylvester was quite tough and mean outwardly, she was a formidable ally when she was really needed. But when you do ask for help, you have to sign a confidentiality contract; she doesn't want her rep ruined.

Finn recorded the meeting with Wende Hench in the notebook. Better safe than sorry when dealing with a crazy pregnant cheerleader. Less certainly wasn't more in Quinn's case. Carol was busy starting their pot roast for dinner. It would take a few hours to cook down in the crock pot.

"What's got you so busy over there Finn?" Carol asked, drying her hands off with a towel.

"E-mailing my teachers. I need to meet to talk about getting my grades up. And Coach Sylvester already agreed to meet me tomorrow at study hall."

"That's good. She's the scary one right?" Carol questioned.

"Yeah, but remember when I hurt my leg in the game last year?" Finn asked. "She was the one to get me all better by the next week."

"I hope she'll be able to help you," Carol said. "So which classes did you email?"

"Ms. Pennett for English, Mr. Key for history, Mrs. Black for maths, Mr. Bob for science, Sylvester, Beiste, and Schue. They should know as well."

"That's good."

"I don't honestly think I cared this much about school until today."

"I'm really glad you are now thought," Carol said pointedly. "I hope that it will get you into a good college and make a career for yourself."

"I'm gonna go to college?" Finn asked, his inner child coming out to ask, as he felt truly insecure about this.

"I hope so, and I'll do everything in my power to help you go."

"I never really thought about college honestly," Finn said pensively. "I thought I might go for football or something, but not for something to actually do with my life."

"That's something you're gonna need to think about then," Carol said.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Finn answered the door bell when it rang around dinner time. Burt and Kurt had arrived for dinner. "Hey, Mr. Hummel, Kurt, thanks for coming," he greeted, shaking their hands.

"Thanks for having us over kid," Burt said with a smile on his face. Kurt was still slightly skeptical of the reason they were here but he was just going to go along with it. "Carol."

"Hi Burt, thanks for coming," Carol replied. Burt grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. Kurt perked up. Carol was single, and so was Burt. This couldn't have been the reason Finn invited them over, but that didn't mean Kurt couldn't use this as an advantage point. "Ohhh, you charmer."

"Nah. Oh, I brought this for us," Burt said, pulling the bottle of wine from his inner jacket pocket.

"Thank you!" Carol said, delighted. She put it in the fridge to chill for a bit. "Dinner is almost ready. So if you want to grab a seat at the table, I'll get started getting everything out." Finn helped his mom out and dinner soon came together.

"So, Finn, what's all this secrecy about?" Kurt asked, about halfway through the meal.

"Well, you can't tell anyone, and I mean anyone," Finn began. Kurt nodded in acceptance. "Quinn is pregnant."

"Are you kidding?!" Kurt gasped, letting his cutlery fall to the table with a clatter. "The president of the celibacy club is pregnant?"

"Yeah, it's not like we did it on purpose," Finn said, feeling compelled to defend himself.

"I kinda figured that," Kurt said soothingly. "But I'm kinda confused as to where we come into the picture."

"Well, Mr. Hummel," Finn turned to address the man. "I was going to see if I could get an after school job. I mean, I want to keep this baby, no matter what. And I like cars, I think they are fascinating. I've always wanted to learn about them. I was wondering if you would hire me on."

"It takes a lot of guts to man up like you are, Finn," Burt said. "I will certainly take you on. You'll need to train for a few weeks. But then you'll be working for real. How does that sound?"

"You have no idea how much that means to me Mr. Hummel," Finn said; he stood up and shook Burt's hand.

"I'm just glad you're trying to be responsible about things. And call me Burt."

"Thanks Burt," Finn said. "I have appointments with some teachers tomorrow about helping me with my grades. Mom and I went to the social services offices today and looked at my options. I really want to do this."

"That's probably the best thing you have ever said," Kurt said. "I'll help you whenever I can."

"Thanks Kurt, it really means a lot that you guys aren't yelling at me and stuff," Finn sighed.

"Well, we could tell you all about poor choices and responsibility, but you know all about it," Carol said. "Finn and I already talked about this and I felt that he has the best intentions. He has a plan and I am going to support him."

"This really gives me hope about this generation of kids," Burt said. With another weight off his shoulders, Finn was able to enjoy his dinner. He has a new friend, and a job opportunity. Overall…not a bad two days. Now he had to face his teachers at school.