I do not own glee. If I did it would be an hour of nothing but Finchel love.

It had been one of those days for Finn Hudson, he was excelling in college much to everyone's including his own surprise. To make a little extra money he offered drum lessons and was suffering from a major headache this particular night. His roommate had already left for the weekend so Finn was looking forward to having the place all to himself. He was a sophomore studying musical education at Boston University, yes he made it out of Lima and he thought close enough to New York to stay with Rachel but the demands of school and life gradually pulled them apart. They still talked from time to time and any blind man could see they still loved each other but the timing was not right. He had just started to fall asleep when he heard a knock on his door. He let out a sigh and pushed himself up off the bed. The knocking grew louder and more insistent, "Jesus Christ I'm coming!" He opened the door and was met with sad looking big brown eyes, "Rach…" He was cut off by her hand on his neck pulling his lips down to meet hers, his mind was asking so many questions but his lips, his arms, his heart only wanted to feel her.

When her lips moved to his neck he could finally breathe and comprehend what was happening. "Rachel. What is…what are you doing here?"

She pried her lips away from his neck and let her heels fall back against the carpet. "Finn. I love you, and I just….I need to be with you tonight."

She stepped closer as his grip on her arms tightened, "I love you, you know I do…but what about tomorrow?"

She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Finn, please."

He watched her face which created more questions than answers and for once he did not know what Rachel Berry was thinking. He kissed her forehead, "Let's just get some sleep and talk tomorrow."

She suddenly gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have come, I should've just let you…" She quickly ran out of the apartment leaving Finn in shock.

He forced his feet into his sneakers cursing at himself for toeing them off by the door and not untying them, "Oh no you don't, I'm getting answers this time!" he yelled as he took off after her into the night. When he exited the apartment building he could feel the rain and saw her small frame walking to her car. He grabbed her arm, "NO. You don't get to do this Rachel. You don't get to come here and kiss me like that, tell me you need me tonight and then just run out."

She shook her head, "NO! I should've just let you remember…"

"Remember what? Rachel I love you, as batshit crazy as you can be I love you."

She looked up into the night and sighed, "I love you too. Finn, I've never lied to you. Can you just please believe that I need you tonight?"

The rain had started pouring harder onto the couple and Finn's heart broke as her sobs became louder than the rain. Rachel had never used Finn and it didn't feel that way to him now, no she needed this for some reason she wasn't ready to talk about. She had driven miles to see him. As if reading his mind, "Finn, I love you I can't say it enough. It's not that I am just in need of getting laid or god, that I'm using you for sex because I just, I never would do that to you. I just need to feel..."

Finn couldn't bear to hear her explain why she needed him, he needed her just as much. He cupped her face in his hands and softly kissed her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he bent down to pick her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. "I always wanted you to kiss me in the rain."

He smiled against her cheek, "All you had to do was ask babe." He carried her back into the apartment and closed the door pushing her up against it not noticing her flinch at the contact of the hard door, "Rach, are you sure? Cause once we start I'm not gonna want to stop."

She smiled and answered him by licking his bottom lip and lightly tugging it between her teeth. He went to sit her on the counter but she shook her head, "umm…no no the bed. My back kinda hurts."

He nodded and picked her up bridal style to carry her to his bed. She closed her eyes slowly and he leaned her back against the sheets suddenly noticing how wet they really were from the rain as she shivered. "Wait, let me go get you another blanket so you aren't cold."

She lightly grabbed his wrist before he could take off and then reached for the hem of her shirt pulling it over her head. "No, I just need you. You'll keep me warm."

He reached up for his collar and pulled his own shirt off gently leaning down so their naked bodies finally touched. It was a night filled with passion and love. There were no promises made, no words but I love you and each other's names escaping their mouths. In the morning Finn woke up to find her gone and with a note stuck to their senior prom picture still on his nightstand.

'Thank you. You will never know how much last night meant to me. I love you, please remember glee club, New York, and last night when you think of me. I'm sorry, but one day you will understand. Please be happy my love.' Rach xo

He couldn't be angry, he wanted to be angry that she had left but her insistence of being with him last night and this letter he just couldn't. Something upset her but he would give her the space he knew she needed, he'd try to get to the bottom of it later when it wasn't so fresh. He loved her, he would do anything for her and he would never regret it. He got up showered and began his routine for Saturday. Although Finn tried not to think about their night together of course it crossed his mind. He sat in class and suddenly saw her looking at him with her big brown eyes, silky hair fanned across the pillow and her perfect teeth tugging at her bottom lip as he inched his way inside her. Her small hands coming to rest on his shoulders pulling him closer until you couldn't tell where he began and she ended. It had been a week and he decided to call her just like they always had.

"The number you have dialed has been disconnected, please check the number and dial again." Finn cocked his head looking at his phone, "I didn't fucking dial, this is Rachel's number." He scrolled down 'Rach' and clicked send, "The number you have dialed has been disconnected, please" Finn threw his phone against the wall and heard his roommate come in, "HEY Jeremy what is Rachel's roommates name?"

"Dude I fucked her once, I don't remember her name."

Finn rolled his eyes, "Just think, please?"

Jeremy leaned against the wall, "Um, I think it's Crystal? Does that sound right?"

Finn nodded and started typing, "Last name by any chance?"

Jeremy let out a chuckle and softly banged his head against the wall, "Damn, last name? Why don't you just ask Rachel?"

Finn's shoulders fell, "I called her number and it says disconnected."

Jeremy's mouth opened in awe, "Shit. Cmon I'll drive."

The drive to NYU was tense and quiet. When they finally made it to Rachel's dorm. Finn was whispering as they walked up to the door, "It's so late. We should've waited til the morning, I don't want to wake her or Crystal."

Jeremy knocked on the door, "Oh well, too late now."

A groggy blonde opened the door, "Finn? ugh Jeremy."

Finn shoved his hands into his pockets, "Hey Crystal, sorry so late but I called Rachel's phone and it said disconnected and I just needed to talk to her."

Crystal shook her head, "Finn, she's not here anymore. She dropped out."

He pushed open the door to see one side of the room completely empty, he walked in and whirled around toward the blonde "Where did she go?"

She shook her head and sighed, "I don't know. I came home from class Tuesday and her stuff was gone. All she left me was this note." Finn took the note and read it to himself.

'Crys, you have made college so much fun for me. I'm going to miss you so much. I want you to remember the water balloon fights, our late night talks, and never give up on your dream. Love ya Rachie'

Finn handed her back the note, "I don't get it. What is going on?" Finn walked out behind Jeremy after saying goodbye to Crystal, "Give me your phone." Jeremy tossed him his phone as they got back in the car. "Hello?" "Mr. Berry! This is Finn. have you seen Rachel? She dropped out of school her phone has been disconnected and no one knows what is going on. Please Sir. Please tell me where she is."

He could hear the man sigh, "Finn…son. No, Rachel is not here. A talent scout found her at school and she's gone to LA. Just move on Finn. It's what she wants. I'm so sorry. Goodbye."

Finn handed Jeremy back his phone shaking his head in disbelief, " He said she was discovered by a talent scout and left for LA. She just left. Just moved on without any kind of goodbye to anyone?" He let his head fall back against the headrest, "I really didn't know her at all."

The next two months went by quickly for Finn, he ate, slept, studied, and banged away on the drums. He had made enough money from his drum lessons to go home for the summer to Lima. He took a deep breath as he looked out the window and down upon the aerial view of Lima, Ohio. He was happy to be going home and maybe could commiserate with his friends about how Rachel had just left them without any warning. He had talked to everyone from glee but they told him the same thing Rachel's father had. To move on, it's what Rachel wants. He googled her nearly every day but never found any news items on her but he didn't want her to fail, this was her dream and while he may not have known her like he thought he did he wanted her dreams to come true. He decided not to tell anyone he was coming home preferring to have time alone in his room to figure out where it all went wrong. He waved down a cab and directed him to his house, Finn used his key and walked in to see Burt and Carole watching tv in the living room. "Hey Mom. Hey Burt."

Both of their heads snapped up, "FINN!"

Carole shared a look with Burt that went unnoticed by Finn before she stood up to embrace her son. "Honey! I had no idea you were coming home. How long are you staying?"

Finn wrinkled his brow at that being the first question she asked, "Um, I wanted to stay home the whole summer but I mean if that's a problem…"

Carole shook her head, "No, not at all honey. We're surprised is all."

Finn nodded up the stairs, "Well I'm kind of tired so I'm going to head to bed. See you in the morning."

Carole leaned against Burt as they watched Finn climb the stairs, "Now what?"

Finn woke up the next morning and decided to get a coffee fix at the lima bean. He sat down at an empty table to be joined by a familiar face across from him. "What do you want?"

She smiled and leaned forward, "No cheerio for breakfast?"

Finn rolled his eyes, "I like Frankenberry better."

She laughed, "Cute. So how ya been?"

"I mean it Santana what do you want?"

She took a deep breath, "There is a secret in this town everyone is keeping from you, but I think you need to know."

Finn shook his head and laughed, "Really, the entire town is keeping a secret from me."

The barista called her name "Santana"

"Let me grab my order and come with me. I'm on my way to work."

Finn scoffed and stayed seated looking up at her. "Am I allowed to come to work with you?"

She nodded toward the door which Finn opened for her, "Yeah well, it's more volunteering."

He was quiet with Santana until he realized where they were driving to, "Why are we in Rachel's old neighborhood?"

She pulled up to the curb and put the car in park, "A long time ago I came between you two. I don't think anything else should stop you from being together even if one of you thinks that the other is better off."

Finn pinched the bridge of his nose, "What do you know Santana? Rachel is in LA pursuing her dreams and left us all here to rot."

He could see a tear make its way down her cheek as she looked toward the house, "Do you really think that Berry would do that? Cut off all contact when she made it big. Damn, you know she would be buying us all tickets to see her out there!"

He clenched his jaw, "Well, that's the Rachel I thought I knew too. Obviously we were all wrong."

Santana ran her finger along the bottom of the steering wheel, "Finn, the volunteering I do is spending time with people who have cancer so they are able to stay at home and be comfortable until….Well I really only do it for one household."

Finn shook his head, "Oh my god, is it Leroy or Hiram?"

Santana handed him the extra key, "All you need to do is make sure the medicine is taken and that they are comfortable." In a very uncharacteristic Santana move she touched his cheek, "I'm so sorry Finn."

His eyes widened as he realized what he was being told, "No, no. Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Santana wiped her tears to no avail, "She made us promise that we wouldn't tell you." She shook her head and hit the steering wheel with the heel of her hand, "I have no idea why we fucking agreed. You deserved to know. I'm so sorry."

Finn wrapped his arms around the pretty Latina, "It's ok. I'm not mad. It's hard to break a promise to Rachel or to tell her no." He pulled back and gently wiped her tears away forcing her to make eye contact with him, "Tell them I know. Tell them I'm not angry. Thanks Santana."

He bolted out of the car running up and shakily guiding the key to the lock. He walked in and could hear himself singing songs from upstairs. She was up there, she was sick and alone. He needed a moment to himself before he revealed himself to her. He remained sitting at the bottom of the steps with his head in his hands, it all made sense now. The need to be with him that night, dropping out of school, the notes asking everyone to remember her. He remembered holding her hips as he kissed his way down her body holding her tightly as he always had. He remembered her small hand covering his, "not so tight, you're going to leave a bruise" He eased up, not thinking of the implication of her words. Bruises. He could hear her voice in his head, "no, no the bed…my back hurts." He wiped the tears away and walked up the stairs, he swore his feet never felt so heavy. He swallowed hard before pushing the door open and had to catch his breath, she looked so small but so beautiful sleeping. How did she still have all of her hair though? Isn't that lost during the treatments? He looked over to the television screen to see the video he made her when they left for college playing. He was currently singing "Hey Delilah" and smiling at the camera.

He carefully pulled up the chair next to her bed and leaned over, "Rachel?"

She slowly opened her eyes and pushed away his hand, "No, you can't be here, you have to leave."

"I'm not leaving you Rachel. Why didn't you tell me baby? what is going on?"

He watched as Rachel swung her legs over the bed and used all of her strength to push her up until she stood with her hands on her hips putting distance between them. "I want you to leave, please leave. Forget you saw me."

Finn leaned back in the chair to show her he wasn't going anywhere, "Forget I saw you? Something is wrong, you're sick. Let me be here for you, please Rachel. This isn't fair."

Rachel's eyes narrowed "Fair? You want to talk about fair! Didn't you ever wonder why you never knew about me until high school?"

Finn shook his head side to side, "you went to Lima Elementary with me."

She rolled her eyes "yes, I did but I never went to middle school. When I was ten I was diagnosed with leukemia and I went through over three hellish years trying to beat it, and I did. The chemo worked, the radiation worked, I was free. Then a few months ago I noticed bruises weren't going away again, I was tired, I wasn't eating. So my dads brought me home and we saw the best doctor who poked and prodded me and took every test known to man, and guess what? The fucking cancer came back, I beat it for nothing Finn. I sat in that office and heard them tell me chances I'll survive this round not likely."

Finn had to bite his lip to keep from crying, "Rach. You didn't beat it for nothing! Look at everything you've accomplished and the people you've met since you were ten. You would have missed it all."

She looked toward him for the first time, "All of those promises we made, I can't keep them Finn. I knew you would ask me to fight again and knowing that you would watch me die. I didn't want you to see any of it, I wanted you to remember me the way I was. I wanted you to have that beautiful memory of our last night together."

Finn crossed the room and knelt down in front of her, "You're so strong Rachel, you can fight this. I don't want a memory I just want you."

She held his head close to her heart, "This is stronger than me Finn. I want to have a good last few months, I don't want to be sick from medicine. I just want…"

He shook his head, "I can't believe your dads would let you do this. Rach, you have so much to fight for."

The confrontation had weakened Rachel as she crawled back under her comforter, "like what? I dropped out of school, I don't have the lung capacity to sing so what do I need to fight for?"

Finn looked at her with pleading eyes, "Us, me, our future."

Rachel touched his cheek, "This isn't about you Finn. This has nothing to do with you, that's why you need to leave. Goodbye."

She turned around with her back facing him, he slowly got up and went to the bathroom grabbing the medicine and a bottle of water from the fridge by her bed. "Here are your pills Rachel."

She held out her hand and began swallowing the six pills. "They are to lessen the pain, I know you're wondering."

"So what do you and Santana usually do?"

She looked over the blanket, "we watch movies, she does my nails, we play games, talk."

Finn looked around the room and grabbed the pink nail polish off of the dresser. Toeing off his shoes and laying down next to her he nudged her over and held her hand on his thigh.

She couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheek, "You don't have to do this Finn and I'm not changing my mind."

He focused on the bright pink gliding down her fingernail rather than her admitting to giving up again, "You're wrong you know. This has everything to do with me because I love you and I'm not leaving, so stop asking."

Hiram and Leroy came home to find Rachel asleep in Finn's arms and motioned for him to follow them downstairs. "We wanted to tell you. We begged her to tell you but she thought you could move on easier."

"I just don't understand why she doesn't want to fight? Doesn't she understand there is so much she's going to miss out on?"

Hiram shook his head, "We've tried, her friends have tried, your mother has tried…"

"Well, I'm going to make her see it…Wait? My mom knew?" Finn's tears started welling up again as he left the Berry residence.

She was sitting in the leather recliner when he walked in and made the pre-emptive strike of moving towards him with her hands up defensively, "Please Finn. Don't be angry she begged me not to tell you but yes I've been taking care of her also and…"

Finn held out his hands to slow her down, "Who is her doctor?"

"Doctor Riley"

"My car is still at the Lima Bean would you mind driving me there?"

Carole grabbed her keys and followed her son to the car. The car ride to the hospital was quiet until she parked the car. "I'll wait out here for you."

Finn shook his head and stared out the window, "No, you're going to come in with me and help me figure out a way to keep the woman I love from giving up on herself. You're going to explain doctor speak that I don't understand and you are going to make him tell me that she has no chance and only then will I let her go without a fight."

He waited until Doctor Riley's receptionist said he was going out to lunch. Finn pushed through the door with his mother in tow, "Perfect, he has time to chat then."

He tuned out the receptionist pleas of "Sir, you cannot go back there. Sir?"

Carole pointed to the office where a man with glasses surrounded by pictures sat. Finn knocked on the door as he walked in clearly showing he was not taking no for an answer. Dr. Riley spun around his chair and clasped his hands calmly in front of him, "Carole? And you are?"

Finn kept a steely gaze on the doctor as he spoke, "I'm Finn Hudson. I'm her son, more importantly I am Rachel Berry's friend, I'm also in love with her and I just found out that she has cancer and she is not fighting it because she believes there is no chance she will pull through. I am asking you as a medical professional is this true? Does she really not have any chance of surviving?"

Dr. Riley adjusted his glasses, "I cannot speak about a patient without their consent I am sorry."

Carole put her hand on her son's shoulder, "He can't honey, he took an oath. We are doing what Rachel wants and you need to accept that."

Finn couldn't hold back the tears anymore, "You don't understand. I love her. She has believed in me even when I haven't. She's fought for me since day one. She's the reason I'm the person I am today, the reason I know the people I do, the reason I think the way I do. I feel like I am letting her down and I don't want to let her go without a fight if there is a chance she can have a future with or without me."

Carole gently pulled Finn off the chair and began leaving the room. Dr. Riley cleared his throat clearly moved by Finn's speech, "Hypothetically since this is a second occurrence the treatment would be aggressive, but there is always a chance." Finn stood at the door mouthing a silent thank you as the doctor went on, "Hypothetically it would need to start right away but there is hope if the patient is willing to fight." He pushed over some reading material about leukemia to the edge of his desk as a sign for Finn to take it.

Finn nodded, "Thank you. Hypothetically I'll be with her the next time you see me."

Carole dropped Finn off to get his car, but not before reaching out to touch his arm, "Finn. please talk to me."

He sat back against the passenger seat, "How am I going to convince her to fight? How am I going to convince her to go through all this pain again knowing that it may not help?"

Carole reached up tenderly touching her son's cheek, "If it was you. What could she say to make you fight?"

It was late by the time he got back over to Rachel's but what he had to say couldn't wait until tomorrow. As if anticipating his arrival Leroy opened the door before Finn had the chance to knock. "Finn, Dr. Riley called. We've told her everything you have, she doesn't want to go through it again."

He held up his yearbook and headed upstairs, "Well there is something I know about her and she doesn't break her promises."

He walked in to find her propped up watching tv, she smiled at him saying a soft "Hey."

Finn sat across from her and opened up his yearbook pointing to a page, "Read it."

She looked at him rolling her eyes, "Finn."

He took a short breath still staring at her, "Read. It."

She sighed and leaned over to see the words better,

Dear Finn. I can't believe we are graduating together in every sense of the word. We are graduating as a couple and embarking on an amazing journey to the east coast together. So many of my firsts have been with you and I hope to have so many more. I also know that you might be reading this ten years from now and maybe things didn't work out, but I want you to know that I will do everything I can to make sure we are together. I promise…" she stopped reading and Finn shook his head and pointed at the book, "No, keep going. Read what you promised me." Her lip quivered as she read on, "I promise you that I will always fight for us, the way we always have. Each time I tell you I love you it is a promise. A promise that this feeling will never go away, that I will never share it with anyone else, and I will fight with all I have to prove it you. I love you Finn Hudson with all my heart and soul. Rachel Berry xo.

Finn took her face in his hands, "Do you love me?"

Rachel bit her lip, "Finn, it's not that simple."

He flashed his crooked grin, "Do. You. Love. Me?"

She shook her head and looked down at the yearbook, they were best senior couple. They were voted the ones that would make it. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and whispered. "yes. I love you."

He leaned forward and softly kissed her lips. Pulling away and brushing the hair from her eyes he looked at her and smiled, "Prove it."

Leroy and Hiram stood behind the door holding each other. Hiram looked up at his husband, "A promise. She made him a promise."

Rachel started shaking from crying, "You don't understand Finn, I'm going to be in the hospital a lot."

"I'll be there with you."

"I'm going to lose weight."

"I don't care."

She wrapped her finger around a tendril of brown hair, "I'm going to lose my hair."

"I'm not in love with your hair. I'll shave mine too."

"I'm going to be so tired and not able to do things for myself."

"I'll be here, I love you Rachel. You are not going through any of this alone. I want to be there for you, just let me."

Rachel linked her fingers through Finn's, she looked at the yearbook. She looked at the hope and desperation in his amber eyes, "Can I think about it tonight?"

Finn nodded and kissed her forehead getting up to leave the room. "Oh wait before I leave." He knelt next to her bed taking her left hand, "Rachel Berry I love you. I have always loved you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to share more firsts with you, it's always been you Rach."

She laughed slightly wiping a tear away, "Is this a bribe to go through all the treatments?"

Finn slipped the ring on her finger, "No, I'm going to marry you no matter what. I want you to be my wife forever. It's just up to you how long forever will be."

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