A/N: Multiple scenario ideas post episode 4x03. Different ideas about Finn's excuse for leaving the army and appearing at Rachel's door.
I can't wait until next week's episode, despite the constant warnings we get from the cast about needing tissues to watch it. All I'm left with are ideas on how the Finchel reunion would go right after Finn sees Brody in the loft with Rachel. Except all my ideas have Finn being awkward and making lame excuses just to avoid the tension and embarrassment of arriving unannounced.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee, Fox does. I did not create Glee, Ryan Murphy did. I do own the season DVDs though.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

PROLOGUE

Rachel opens the door, a wide smile on her face, still feeling the lingering emotions following the kiss she shared with Brody. Her face suddenly falls as she takes a proper look at the person who dared ruin her first hopeful moment since she boarded the 4:25 to New York.

Finn Hudson. The love of her life stood before her. No. He used to be the love of her life until he forced her to go to New York alone. After cancelling their wedding plans. After breaking up with her, or as he called it he "set her free". After changing the future they had once imagined sharing together. In a single horrifying moment, Finn Hudson, the supposed "love of her life", took it upon himself to make life-altering decisions for her, without her.

Finn Hudson, the man who broke her heart into a million tiny pieces. Finn Hudson, the man to blame for the unending weeks of puffy eyes she had to endure. Finn Hudson, the man she will always unconditionally love, no matter the faults in his personality, or faulty decisions he makes for her. Still, Finn Hudson will also always be her first love, and her first real heartbreak.

His hair was cropped and he seemed to have a newfound glowing confidence in him. His shoulders weren't hunched in the way they used to be in high school, which made his demeanor seem a lot more mature. Rachel stood still on her spot, not daring to let go of the door fearing that if she did, her knees would weaken and crumple to the floor in shock. Finn. My Finn, who is supposed to be in the army. The same Finn who didn't contact me for almost three months now. Finn. What is he doing here? In New York?

Rachel lost in her own thoughts, failed to notice the twinkle in Finn's eyes. The way he looked her over, as if trying to internally convince himself that the girl standing in front of him was indeed Rachel Berry. The love he so passionately felt for her emanated through his eyes, a contrast to the way Rachel looked at him. Her expression held a mix of love, confusion, hurt, and anger.

Their trance was broken when shuffling came from behind Rachel. Brody's appearance did not come unnoticed by Finn. He looked at the guy who seemed to be straightening himself up after what seemed to be an obviously intruded make-out session, and brought his gaze back to the girl whom he once proposed to. Rachel caught his eyes as she noticed the evident slump of his shoulders and the look of disapproval he clearly wanted her to see. His confident arrival slowly and visibly crumpled and as their eyes briefly met, she saw a glint of hurt from his usually soft and reassuring brown eyes.

Suddenly, the oxygen in the room seemed to be lacking, and the tension heightened more as the two people standing by the door refused to speak, not allowing themselves to have to deal with the reality of their situation. This seemingly awkward situation. This seemingly never-ending complex relationship that they share.

Footsteps were heard in the background and Finn looked up to see the guy approaching them. Finn took a step back away from the door and considered going back down to chase after the taxi that brought him here, and demand to bring him anywhere, anywhere away from this godforsaken awkwardly horrendous moment. He smiled a crooked smile, which looked more like a grimace, in an attempt to break the tension. Quick Hudson, quick! Think of something, say anything to make you leave. Now!

Rachel noticed Finn flinch when Brody slowly made his way towards the door. When he took a step away from it, she almost reached out to him, not wanting him to leave. Not until he explained his spontaneous arrival in New York, in her apartment. Not until he explained why he isn't currently in the army. The army, the one thing that gave them a reasonable excuse to be kept apart for so long. She refused to have him leave, despite their current situation. She needed a proper explanation. She decided on saying something to make him stay, anything to say to make him explain. Rachel opened her mouth hoping for nothing embarrassing to come out from it. But nothing came out, and she looked deep into his eyes, pleading him to stay with her eyes, hoping that he understood her signals.

Finn felt uncomfortable. It was obvious that he had just interrupted a date, considering the pizza box laying on the ground, the opened bottle of champagne and the purposely dimmed light of the room. He saw that Rachel was facing the same internal struggle and decided upon himself to make the first move. He stood up straighter and looked Rachel straight in the eyes, trying to ignore the mood in the room and the guy who seemed to be floating in the background. He smiled at her, and said,

"Hi."

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

A/N: ok i admit the prologue is more like a drabble right now, but tomorrow I'm posting Ch. 1: Excuse #1: "Where's-My-Gay-Stepbrother-Excuse"

feel free to review, criticize or say hi =)