All my love and gratitude to Abbey (IThinkIJustGleedMyself) for beta'ing this chapter! Enjoy! :)
He was a father at 18. Finn Hudson didn't exactly picture himself as a dad carrying his two-month old daughter on one arm and a duffel bag on the other. Sure he was already at the legal age to start a family but he still had dreams; however that had to be put on hold because he knocked up his girlfriend on Prom night. Great. No, he shouldn't be thinking this way; he told himself. It had been a constant internal battle for him ever since his now ex-girlfriend, Laurel delivered the news that he was going to be a father. With his mother now starting anew in Brooklyn after deciding to accept a job offer she got from a hospital there, Finn had no one to confide in with the immediate shock but his best friend, Kurt.
Their friendship wasn't the typical bromance. Finn had gone from being one of Kurt's tormentors to being his steadfast protector. While the queer went from wishing the quarterback would someday hit his head on the doorframe to hoping that one day he would achieve his greatest aspirations in life. Either way, Finn was grateful to have someone like Kurt as his best bud, his brother from another mother, especially now that he had no family left in town.
As if his 'brother' had some kind of ESP, Finn's phone rang while he sat and waited at a bench, cradling his child while idly waiting for their transportation to arrive.
"This is Finn." He answered, his baby squirming in his arms. "And yes Kurt, Ava is all good."
He heard the heavy sigh of relief on the other line. When his daughter was born, Kurt was the more frantic one than both him and Laurel. In fact, he had invited himself to every post-natal check-up Ava had as of late. Finn wouldn't have it any other way, though. He was thankful for all the help he could have with raising Ava.
"I'm just making sure. You and I both know that she's all yours now so her well-being technically depends entirely on you." Kurt reminded him. "Laurel made that clear when-"
"Yeah yeah. When she went to my house right after graduation saying she couldn't be a mother at 18 blah blah blah blah blah." Finn said nonchalantly. To be honest he was completely disappointed, maybe a little pissed too, at Ava's mother. He had been nothing short of supportive and caring and just about anything else that Laurel needed him to be while she carried his child for nine long months. He understood how hard it must be for her during those times. She was trying to get into MIT so she did everything she could to keep her GPA at a flawless record while being pregnant in high school. Laurel showed no signs of regret nor despise towards him and the turn of events. They had also been more appreciative of each other and their relationship, even more so when they finally met their baby in person. Born Ava Christine Hudson, she was the gift Finn never knew he'd welcome so soon in his life. Then he found himself in complete awe and adoration at the living being he helped create. Even Laurel told him that Ava was a pure Hudson, except for the little blonde curls she seemed to quickly grow during the first month. In that hospital room he saw his family, the kind that his dreams would promise him a little further into his future. Athe month came by and the seniors bid their last goodbyes to their alma mater, Laurel successfully managed to get a scholarship at the university she wanted while Finn was offered a football scholarship at Columbia. Never in a million years did expect something like that to be handed to someone like him. Finn honestly thought that he and Laurel would discuss how they would raise their child when they're states away from each other. Unfortunately, she had other plans; plans that did not include him nor Ava, at all.
"Finn, she had bigger dreams than this town. You know that." Kurt calmly told him.
"And I don't? What did she expect me to do, huh Kurt? Give up my life and be contented being a single father?" Finn began to raise his voice, which in turn caused the tiny bundle to squirm even more. He then whispered, as if Ava could listen and understand everything he said, "Look.. I never said I regret having Ava at this point in my life. Anyone knows how much I love her; you know I'd do anything for her. It's just that..."
"That you wished you had someone beside you and do the same thing you did to her during those nine months. That you too, just like her, had dreams you have yet to fulfill." He cut his best friend off. Sometimes, Finn kind of wondered if he really was that transparent that Kurt could almost read right through him. "I know that. You've said those to me a million times now. But you have to lean on the bright side here. You still have your scholarship, you have Ava... Finn, you're practically onto a decent life here if you stop dwelling on the past."
Finn pursed his lips as Kurt spoke. Perhaps his best friend did have a point.
"But what if she suddenly decides to walk back into our lives and take my daughter away from me? I mean, wouldn't that be unfair?"
"You don't have to think of that for now. You'll cross that bridge when you get there." Kurt advised. "For now, you and Ava have to get on that train, meet with Carole once you set foot in New York, and well... The rest you have to figure out for yourself. It's your life to live Finn, not mine."
He knew the last part was meant to lighten the conversation, but somehow it heightened his anxiety a bit more. Just then, the shrill honk of the train arriving at the station finally woke sleeping Ava up. Her little face scrunched while her mouth opened as she burst into a crying fit. "Hey Kurt, I gotta go." He bid. "Train's here and Ava's already awake. I'll text you once we get to New York." Finn told him while he started gathering his and Ava's bags. "Oh and thank you. For everything." Kurt said his farewell on the other end of the line before Finn dropped the call. He tried to calm Ava down by singing a simple tune which, thankfully, lulled her once again to sleep. Finn looked at his daughter nestled on his arms and softly whispered, "This is it, angel. It's officially just you and Daddy." He really didn't want to cry at a public place, but the gentle smile that curved on Ava's lips made his eyes a little misty. "Well, of course there's Grandma too but, you get my point right?" Giving her a kiss on the forehead, Finn braced himself for what the future had laid on them in the big city. Ava would be his only girl, and he'd do everything he could for them to have a good life together; even if it took him playing as both her mom and dad.
...
She had been impatiently tapping her fingers on the armrest of a wooden bench for about forty-five minutes now. Rachel Berry wasn't quite the one who would want to wait for anything. Then again, it was her fault she had been waiting at the train station. Her adoptive parents, Hiram and Leroy, had been adamant to let her stay at home for quite a few more minutes but she was nothing but persistent. The car ride to the Union Station in Washington lasted for only about ten minutes, hence her very early arrival.
"Honey, are you sure you want to do this alone? You know your Papa and I would be more than willing to accompany you." Hiram asked her on the way to the train station, though he had an inkling of what his daughter would answer.
"Dads, I've told you. I can do this on my own." Rachel reassured them with a gentle smile. "Besides, it's not like I'm going to live with strangers starting tonight. I'm gonna be with Mom and Blaine. They're as much as my family as you both are." She had never told her fathers yet, and perhaps she never would after today, but Shelby and Blaine needed her now more than ever. Her birth mother and her half-brother had been going through tough times lately and she wouldn't forgive herself for not being by their side and helping them at any way she possibly could. That was mainly the reason why she had asked Hiram and Leroy's permission to let her live with them in New York; her acceptance letter to the Tisch School at NYU was just the brighter side of it.
"Alright. But in case you or Shelby or Blaine needs us there, we'll be on the next flight to JFK." Her Papa reminded her. Although, he was still half-minded about letting his daughter go solo, let alone on a train ride that'll last more than the usual hour-and-thirty flight. And with that the Berry spouses bid their farewell to their very own princess.
The sudden honk signaling the arrival of her train made Rachel jump on her seat, despite her senses still being on full alert. She gathered her bags, fixed her outfit, and prepared her ticket for inspection as the door finally opened in front of her. A stout, old man welcomed Rachel into one of the train and asked for her ticket, which she immediately presented to him before getting inside and searching for an empty seat. In the few minutes she walked along the aisle, she noticed the number of different people busy with their own lives. Rachel was known to crave attention, even of any kind. Her rainbow-colored pea coat and the matching pillbox hat proved that even further.
Just then, her phone rang, the caller ID flashing her mother's name.
"Mom?" She answered in a concerned tone.
"Hey, sweetie." Shelby greeted back, though her voice wasn't that merry at all. This only furthered Rachel's concerns.
"I'm on my way now. Is something wrong? How's Blaine?" From what her mother had told her during their last conversation, Blaine wasn't holding up well. At all.
As if her daughter already had an idea on her intentions of calling her, Shelby simply sighed on the other end of the line. "Rachel, you know he's trying."
"He's not, mom. We both know he's not." She was trying her best to keep her voice low, but the picture of her brother in her mind it just... it pushed her off the edge sometimes.
"Hey, is that Rachel you're talking to?" Rachel heard Blaine from her phone's speaker, the words slurring from his mouth. "Give me, I wanna talk to her!"
She then heard a few rustles; Shelby must've passed the phone to the boy. Rachel couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. He's so going to receive a long-winded lecture from her as soon as she arrives.
"Rachie baby! How's my sister doing!?" Blaine chirped, yet there was still a hint of inebriation in his voice.
"Don't 'Rachie baby' me!" Rachel hissed. "You know I'm older than you-"
"Yeah, by three minutes," her brother cut off. She groaned slightly before continuing, "What are you doing? You and I both know how much drinking will affect your voice, Blaine!" They had gone into that discussion for several times already, and yet he hadn't learned nor heard nothing from what she had said. "Do you even realize how much is at stake with you trying to throw your future away? You're going to Juilliard! Does that even matter to you anymore?"
"Oh Juilliard Schmulliard. I bet they'll find another person who's just like me." He retorted. Rachel wanted to believe that Blaine didn't mean a single word he said, that he wasn't hell bent on destroying his future just like he was now. He was the only other person she could identify herself with. Now it looked like even that was slipping away.
"You're not thinking straight, Blaine. Just- just go to sleep tonight, okay? I'll see you in the morning and then we'll talk." She muttered softly to him, not wanting to argue with her brother any more.
"A lullaby, Rachie?" Blaine cooed, knowing she wouldn't resist him, even if he was drunk as fuck.
If it would put his brother to a peaceful slumber, and her and Shelby to a peaceful mind, then who was she to say no? With a deep breath, Rachel started humming and then singing the song over the phone.
Your little hands wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light
To you, everything's funny
You got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have, honey
If you could stay like that
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
No, no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, never grow up
You're in the car on the way to the movies
And you're mortified your mom's dropping you off
At 14, there's just so much you can't do
And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots
But don't make her drop you off around the block
Remember that she's getting older, too
And don't lose the way that you dance around
In your PJs getting ready for school
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
No one's ever burned you
Nothing's ever left you scarred
And even though you want to
Just try to never grow up
Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all your little brother's favorite songs
I just realized everything I have
Is someday gonna be gone
So here I am in my new apartment
In a big city, they just dropped me off
It's so much colder than I thought it would be
So I tuck myself in and turn my night light on
Wish I'd never grown up
I wish I'd never grown up
Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up
Could still be little
Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up
It could still be simple
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
Won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
And even through to you want to
Please try to never grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just never grow up
She heard Blaine snoring from the other end which signaled her to drop the call. Rachel sent a quick text to Shelby telling her she need not pick her up at the station and instead take care of her brother, who she expected would be experiencing a massive hangover the next day. Looking out the window, she felt so exhausted despite only having a conversation with Blaine. His drama was nothing short of causing her to worry, even if they're miles away from each other. Filled with the hopes of finally seeing Blaine and Shelby again, Rachel drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Without even realizing it, her lullaby worked its magic as well on the little girl crying behind her; causing the father to breathe a sigh of relief. After the first fifteen minutes into their trip, Ava started the worst tantrum Finn had ever seen. He had tried everything to calm her down, but failed to no avail. Unbeknownst to the girl in front of her, she had been the answer to his prayers. Anyone would probably think he would be exaggerating but that girl's voice did more than just sing a lullaby for his daughter. Her song drew these images inside Finn's head, as if every line was a foretelling of the life bound for him and Ava. Finn had to admit, the future scared him. But the way the stranger's voice sang every word with so much heart and meaning; it gave him so much hope that it was more than enough to wash his fears away. Would it be creepy to say that he desperately wanted to see the face behind the talent? He imagined her to be this beautiful angel, just like her voice. Finn promised himself he would thank the stranger who had successfully put his daughter to sleep after hours and hours of failed attempts, not to mention changed his life in a way; as soon as he wakes up from his own rest.
A/N: So? How was it? This story has been on the works for quite a few months now and I'm really hoping and wishing and praying I'd get to finish it. Fingers crossed! I have a few more chapters already written so stay tuned! Reviews are love and inspiration, my angels. ^.^