Well look at this! Are you surprised? I needed a break for a few minutes from Waiting for Superman and really hunted for a one shot idea when one was just under my nose. I started this I don't even know when. I do know, that it was born out of an idea that came to me when I read or saw an article about Justin Timberlake visiting Jessica Biel on set when she was pregnant with Silas. I just recently finished it off and Lauren tells me it's just a big old ball of fluff. Anyway. I hope you enjoy it. And as always, I don't own Finn or Rachel. Just their children and the plot. I took some liberties in terms of Broadway at the Bowl so any mistakes are mine. Enjoy!
Here Without You
Rachel was exhausted. As she hauled her tired, overworked body down the hallway towards her hotel room she couldn't help but allow her shoulders to fall. She'd put up a good fight all day, but this business of being on her feet all day was slowly going to kill her. She slid her key card through the door, sighing when a blast of cold air hit her in the face. She had left a window open in her suite this morning to break the stifling cycle of stale air, and obviously housekeeping had closed in to in turn throw on the ice cold air conditioning. She shivered against the cold as her back ached, and the tiny baby inside her nudged against her skin.
"I know baby, I'm hungry too," she whispered. "just let me close the air and we'll order room service." Another nudge let her know that the baby was in agreement. Or at least that's how it seemed.
She was just reaching the bed when her phone, which she had shoved in her back pocket on her way up the elevator, buzzed.
Off yet? - F
She smiled at the directness of his text, used to it after being together for over 15 years.
Just got back to the hotel. - R
As she was used to his straight forward texts, he was used to her answering said texts in full sentences.
Have you eaten dinner yet? - F
She raised an eyebrow at the text. She knew he worried about her, even more so that she was 6 months pregnant with their second child, and hours away from him.
I was just about to order room service. I think I'm going to attempt some chicken. - R
Attempt? You okay babe? - F
Yeah. Just haven't been able to stomach it this week. Your baby has wanted red meat all week :)- R
Taking after Daddy, atta boy. ;) - F.
She bit her lip as she read the last text. She sighed as she ran her hand over the small bump attached to her body and smiled when the baby kicked.
"I know baby, I miss Daddy too," she whispered.
She'd signed on for this small run at the Hollywood Bowl for Broadway in the City right around the time she found out she was pregnant. She'd battled back and forth for the two weeks she could as she was ravaged with the most intense morning sickness she had ever endured. Her first pregnancy had been torture, ripe with intense sickness that had left her bedbound for 6 of the 9 months she had carried their daughter. But this was worse because it was sudden, and all day. For a moment she had considered pulling out of the month long engagement, but by some miracle the sickness began to recede enough for her to go through with her commitment. She had prevailed, because it was a once in a life time opportunity to play Christine from Phantom. That, and luckily for her the costumes were flowy enough to hide her now 6 month pregnant belly.
She smiled as her phone beeped again.
Charlie wants to face time, that okay? - F
Sure, let me order dinner first.- R
Okay. Don't want my boy getting hungry! - F.
She ordered dinner quickly, adding a brownie because it sounded good before settling on the couch and grabbing her iPad to face time with her family. She nibbled her lip as she waited for either Finn or Charlie to answer. The four year old was well versed in how to face time, she even taught her beloved Poppy and Nana to do it too.
She got teary as she thought about her baby. Charlie, otherwise known as Charlotte Rachel Hudson, was the light of her life. At 4, she was precocious and thoughtful and a perfect blend of her and Finn with his eyes, her nose and petite frame. She'd been tiny at birth, a small 5 pounds, 3 ounces but had been a force to be reckoned with from the moment they had taken her home. Especially in the first two years, when a host of medical problems had resulted in diagnosis' ranging from anaphylactic milk allergies to chronic ear infections requiring tubes had sent them to the ER over and over. All of which made it so hard to be away from her right now. That, coupled with her pregnancy hormones, she was one wrong word away from becoming a blubbering mess.
"Mommy!" Charlie's squeaky voice came through the iPad's speakers loud and clear. "Mommy it's you!"
She smiled through the tears that were forming in her eyes as she looked at her little girl. "It is me! Are you getting ready for bed?"
Charlie nodded her head a few times. "I got my jamas on. See?" she pointed to the Frozen nightgown she had on. "Daddy said I could wear this one tonight."
Rachel laughed at the serious tone of her voice.
"He did, did he?" she smiled gently.
Charlie nodded excitedly, before her face fell.
"What's wrong princess?"
"I spilled syrup on my pink one this morning,"
"That's okay. It can be washed!" Rachel smiled.
"But Daddy doesn't do laundry like you do. He always forgets the smelly sheets..." She stated in a serious voice, scrunching up her nose as she did so.
Rachel laughed. Finn and his laundry trouble was something that was ongoing, and had been for ninety percent of their entire relationship. "I'm sure Daddy will remember this time. I left him instructions, remember?"
Rachel could see the wheels turning in Charlie's head. She decided to change the subject. "Where is Daddy?"
"Bathroom, " she said plainly. "We had McDonalds for dinner after dance camp."
Rachel chuckled. "You did? What did you get?"
"Chicken nuggets," she sighed. "But Daddy forgot to get me a fruit cup so I had to have the french fries,"
"That's okay baby." Charlie sighed again before launching into a rant about how yucky they were.
A knock interrupted Charlie's tirade about how much she didn't like french fries. "Hold on sweetheart, that's Mommy's dinner..."
"Dinner? It's bedtime Mommy," she sighed. "Uncle Kurt says you shouldn't eat at bed time. That's what he tells Daddy all the times..."
She chuckled as she left the tablet on the couch, going to grab her chicken salad and brownie before returning to her huffing daughter.
"It's dinner time here. Remember we talked about how it's earlier in California than it is in New York..."
"Yeah," Charlie sighed. Her features drooped and then picked up. "Daddy's outta the bathroom!" she giggled. "Daddy, Mommy's on the screen!"
Rachel laughed as she heard Finn grumble something about boundaries and Hudson women as he fell into the couch beside the chatty little girl.
"Can I talk to Mommy too?" she heard him mumble before the tablet shifted hands. Finn held it out so that she could see both of them. "There we go. Now we can both see, see?" She chuckled softly when she saw Charlie was pouting. "Hey Rach."
"Hey babe," she smiled. "Charlie tells me you forgot the fruit cup again," Rachel winked as she looked at their daughter.
"Yeah Daddy, you forgot again...and I had to have FRENCH FRIES!" she shrieked.
Finn held up his free hand. "Sorry, sorry. It won't happen ever again."
Both Rachel and Charlie laughed at his admission. Everyone knew it would probably happen again. He didn't do it on purpose, as a firefighter Finn's schedule was just as hectic, if not more than, her own as a Broadway performer. And in the grand scheme of things forgetting about the 4 year old's aversion to french fries wasn't that big of a deal. Unless you were Charlie of course. She was different. Every other kid would love french fries. Not their daughter.
She smiled as she watched Finn and Charlie bicker back and forth over a few things. She loved the way they interacted with each other, both of them looked at each other which such adoration that it made her heart skip a beat. She knew Charlie loved her father, it was obvious in the way her eyes lit up every time she looked at him. And the feeling was mutual. Had been from the moment Charlie had come screaming into their lives on a late, snowy March evening. The tiny newborn had opened her eyes, blinked and Finn had been a goner. She rubbed her belly at the thought, thinking of the little boy that was growing inside of her. If anything, it made her feel just a little less lonely some nights, the fact that she had their little boy along for the ride. But it didn't make her miss her little family at home in New York any less.
"Is baby Chris kicking?" Charlie's excited voice brought her back to reality. She hadn't realized they had both turned their attention back to her. They had named the baby the moment the ultrasound had shown he was a boy. Christopher William Hudson had an estimated due date of November 17th.
Rachel smiled as she placed her hand on her belly.
"He is," she sighed as Finn's eyes softened through the screen. "I think he's saying hi to you and Daddy,"
"Awe hi Chris!" Charlie giggled before launching into another story about something that happened at Dance Camp that day.
It wasn't long before Charlie got bored with the conversation and Finn sent her to her room to get ready for bed and cuddle up with a book.
"Good night Mommy, I love you!"
"I love you too sweetheart!"
Charlie blew her a kiss as Rachel chuckled and returned the kiss.
When she was out of the room, the smile fell from her face as Finn watched the little girl run to her room. When he turned back to look at her, his face immediately registered that he had noticed the difference in her demeanor.
"Babe," his voice came out in a whisper, softening from the tone in which he had sent their daughter off to bed.
She sniffled as she looked at him, her emotions coming over her like a tidal wave, much like they had been her entire pregnancy. She was an emotional person as it was, but since becoming a mother, even she could admit that it had become much worse. Especially being away from her little girl right now.
"I'm okay, I'm okay." She waved a hand in front of her face to stop the tears from coming.
His brow furrowed. "You're not okay."
She shook her head. "I'm okay." She wiped at her eyes and threw a smile on her face. "Tell me about your week so far. What superhero attempts have you done this week?"
Finn ran his hand over his face, and she smiled a little when his wedding band caught the overhead light. It still took her breath away, even after all these years. He had chosen her, loved her.
He chuckled when he looked at her through the screen, his eyes red from where he had just rubbed. "Superhero? I ain't no superhero," he chuckled. It was their inside joke.
"You're my superhero," she whispered. "Now tell me something good..."
"Something good?" he scratched at the slight scruff on his jaw. "Well, I remembered to use the Bounce sheets when I washed Charlie's other nightgown," he chuckled. "So there's that. But apparently I missed the point with the french fries. Rach, why doesn't our kid like french fries?"
Rachel shrugged while a smile tugged at her lips. "I don't have the answer to that Finn,"
"I think it's because you ate too many of them when you were pregnant with her," he winked. A moment passed before a look of fake horror came over his face. "Wait, you've been eating a lot of red meat...poor Chris is never going to want to look at steak again...as soon as he can eat it, that is."
"I'm not quite sure that's how it works babe," she sighed. "I think my iron has just been low and I needed it. More so than the baby," she huffed as she shuffled a bit on the couch.
"Rachel," he sighed. She knew he worried about her, and admitting that there might be something "off" or "wrong" was not the best move.
"Finn," she groaned. "I'm fine."
"Are you?" He eyed her. He moved the screen closer to his face. "You would tell me if you weren't, right?"
She lowered her eyes and looked down at the chicken salad that still sat in her lap. "Rachel?"
"I miss you," she said quietly as she ran her finger over the edge of the bowl. "I miss you and Charlie and Finn I think I made a mistake taking this gig..."
"Baby," he sighed. "You didn't make a mistake..."
"I want to come home Finn," she whispered. "I don't want to do this anymore," Her lip trembled as the dam that she had been holding in finally broke and the sob that erupted took even her by surprise.
"Oh Rach," he whispered into the tablet. "Baby, I'm sorry." He lifted his fingers to graze the screen, imitating the action he had repeated so many times over the years. She could almost feel the rough pads of him thumbs wiping against her cheeks.
She hiccupped as she attempted to get herself under control, taking a deep cleansing breath as she tried to stop her tears. "The baby kicked today..." she whispered. "He's been kicking a lot the last few days and I wish you were here to feel just like when Charlie..."
"Hey, hey, it's okay. I got to feel that once, remember? Right before you left? And he'll kick tons more before he's born, if he's anything like his sister," Finn tried to chuckle to keep it lighthearted.
"I just wish you were here, or I was there..."
"You will," he sighed. "It's going to be over soon and then you're stuck with us...forever," he laughed, making a funny face as he said the last word. Rachel chuckled as she wiped at the last of her tears. He always knew how to make her laugh, just when she needed it the most.
"I love you so much," she whispered when the laughter died down.
"I love you more," he winked.
She rolled her eyes as he chuckled. "if you say so."
Finn rubbed his face as he hung up the face to face call with Rachel. His heart broke as he listened to her cry. If he was being honest, he hadn't wanted her to go. But it was the opportunity of a lifetime for her, she had been handpicked and chosen to do this run for one month. And it was for a good cause. But being away from her was hard. It was always hard, but the fact that she was pregnant made that even more complicated. It hurt more, to see her so distraught.
"Daddy?" he heard from behind him. He wiped his face one more time before turning around to find Charlie standing behind him.
"What's up, butter cup?" he smiled, opening his arms to her. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"Is Mommy sad, Daddy?" she asked quietly as she walked over to him. She climbed up onto his lap and laid her head on his chest.
He kissed her wild brown hair, taking a moment to think about the answer.
"She's just lonely out there right now," he murmured quietly. "And she misses us. You especially."
Charlie picked at the grey t-shirt he was wearing. "I miss Mommy too."
"Me too baby. Me too," Finn murmured. "What do you say we do something about that?"
"Can we send her flowers?" Charlie's head perked up from his chest. "Mommy likes flowers. Pink and yellow ones especially..."
"I think we can do better than flowers..."
By Friday, she was dragging her feet. Her head was pounding, and her feet were killing her. She craved a dark room, a bubble bath and maybe some chocolate. Yeah, chocolate would probably make her headache so much worse but it would make her feel much better.
But the moment she entered her suite, something felt off. She took a step cautiously more into the main room, and the first thing she noticed was a big bouquet of fresh roses sitting on the coffee table. She brought her hand to her mouth as she approached, plucking the card that was perched on the top.
To the hardest working Mom in all of Broadway business. I love you!
-Charlotte Rachel Hudson.
She felt the tears rise in her eyes as she held the card in her hands. She smiled though, at Charlie's need to state her full name. But it still didn't stop the tears from brewing in her eyes.
"It's not supposed to make you cry," she heard from behind her.
"Yeah Mommy, they're supposed to make you smile!"
She turned around quickly to find both Finn and Charlie standing behind her, in the entrance to the bedroom. She clasped her hand over her mouth as they both smiled at her with identical grins.
Finn crossed the room with Charlie behind him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She sunk her head into his chest as a sob rose in her chest, just as Charlie came up and wrapped her arms around her leg.
"What are you guys doing here?" she whispered as she turned her head so she could look down at Charlie. The little girl grinned up at her.
"We tooked an airplane Mommy," she grinned. "We got to go on a big plane and Daddy let me have 7-Up!"
Rachel chuckled. The simple things always intrigued Charlie.
Finn ran his hand up and down her arm. "We wanted to come see you. You sounded so sad on FaceTime the other day and I made some calls, and here we are..." he smiled.
"How long do I have you guys for?"
"Let's not worry about that right now," Finn whispered.
"Yeah, daddy said we can go bowling!" Charlie grinned.
"Well, we wouldn't want to miss that, now would we?" Rachel smiled. "Just let me change my clothes and we can go..."
Charlie nodded and headed for the couch, plopping down on the comfortable seat. "Daddy, can I watch tv?"
When Charlie was settled with the television, Finn walked out of the main room of the suite into the bedroom. He found Rachel rooting through the closet where she had hung her clothes.
"We don't have to go bowling right now...or even today...I know you must be tired..." he sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "She just saw it when we were coming up here and I couldn't say no but I did tell her..."
He was cut off when she turned around to look at him, dropping the short sleeved shirt she had been holding. Tears were shining in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Oh babe," he sighed as he crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm just so glad you guys are here," she whimpered as she cuddled into his chest. He kissed her head a few times, his hands running up and down her arms for a few moments.
"Where else would we be? Would I be?" he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She whimpered into his chest, clutching the soft cotton of his t-shirt in her fingers.
"We're here now, okay? We're staying for the weekend and then we have to head back, but you have us for now, okay?" he turned her face to look at him. He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears away, much like he had wished he could do a few nights ago.
She nodded gently, squeezing her eyes closed for a moment before looking up at him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
He chuckled, his chest rumbling a little. "You have nothing to be sorry about babe."
He paused for a moment as he stared down at her, his thumb still on her cheek. The laughter had died on his lips as he stared down at her and she stared back up at him, watery brown eyes and all. "I love you babe," he whispered as his thumb traced her cheek while his other arm grasped at her waist. She sucked in a breath as his lips descended onto hers, capturing them for the first time in weeks. She whimpered as his lips claimed hers, moving slowly at first and then quickly escalating with more urgency. When his tongue sought entrance to her mouth, she immediately allowed him access as her hands reached up to curl around his head, her fingers sliding through the longer curls at the base of his neck. His other hand left her face and joined his other at her waist, attempting to pull her as close as possible, her bump and their son the only thing keeping them from being as close as possible.
Rachel was the first to pull away, the need for air and to breathe becoming too much. She hesitantly pulled her lips away, but remained wrapped him Finns arms as she leaned her head on his shoulder and allowed her arms to wrap around his waist. She pressed as close to him as she could and smiled slightly against the cotton of his shirt when she felt the baby kick. Finns hands were immediately on her bump as he slightly turned her, his hands finding the area their son had kicked.
He didn't say anything, only pressed another quick kiss to the side of her face as her hands joined his and they both waited for another kick.
"I love you too," she whispered as he pulled her closer. He dropped a kiss on her hair.
He left her to get changed once the baby stopped kicking and ventured back out into the main area of the suite. He plopped down on the couch beside Charlie, pressing the same kiss to the top of her head as he had just done to Rachel as they both waited for her to be ready to go.
Rachel laughed as she watched Charlie dance, shaking her behind to the music that was playing through the bowling alley. She rubbed the sides of her stomach just as the baby gave a hearty kick and Finn returned with a pizza in his hands.
"Mmm, that smells really good..." she sighed when he put it down on the table beside her. "Christopher says thank you Daddy."
He grinned once more, leaning over to place his hand on her belly just as the baby kicked once more. "You're welcome buddy," he chuckled. "He's sure kicking a lot today," he commented.
"Even more since you got here," she smiled softly as Charlie came dancing over to them.
"Pizza!" She squealed as she scrambled into the chair across from Rachel and Finn. She grinned at them both and held out her hands. "Please?"
Both Finn and Rachel chuckled. "You'd think you were hungry or something," Finn laughed as Rachel dug through her purse for a bottle of hand sanitizer. She squirted some into Charlie's hands before passing the bottle to Finn.
"I am hungry Daddy. Bowling makes my tummy growl," she added seriously as she rubbed her hands together to work in the sanitizer. "This is the yummy smelling one Mommy!"
Rachel couldn't help but laugh once more. "Like father, like daughter," she smiled as she scooped out a piece of pizza and put it on a paper plate before cutting it up for Charlie.
But it was later that night, long after Charlie had fallen asleep on the pull out couch in the suite and Finn and Rachel had retreated to the bedroom that the exhaustion of the day caught up with her. She was slipping into bed much later than she was used to, the days show and surprise catching up with her. Broadway in the City took up a different schedule than she was used to. Where normally Broadway shows naturally most often took place at night, these shows were performed in the early afternoon so that they could be experienced by everyone and they could comply with sound ordinances.
"Are you guys going to come to the show tomorrow?" She asked quietly as she slipped into bed beside him.
He smiled sleepily at her, pulling her exhausted body close to him."Of course. If you'll have us, I mean."
She smiled up at him tiredly, her hand coming to rest on his chest while her head found his shoulder.
"I would love nothing more," she smiled. "It'll be nice to have my whole family there..."
He smiled.
They were quiet for a moment, so quiet that Finn's eyes began to drift closed, the small movements Rachel was making on his chest were soothing enough.
"Thank you," she whispered so quietly he almost missed it.
"Rach?" He lifted his head off the pillow and looked down at her. She looked up at him, her bottom lip tugged between her lips.
"Thank you," she repeated. "For coming out here...I know you can't stay long but I really needed to see you guys...and...thanks..."
"Glad we could do it babe. I'm just sorry we can't stay longer..."
She shrugged."I'll take what I can get..." she paused, rubbing her stomach. "We'll take what we can get."
Finn smiled sleepily before squeezing her waist a little as they both drifted off to sleep.
Charlie was captivated. Somehow, Rachel had managed to get them front row seats at the last minute. He had been worried, that they would be stuck with terrible seats and Charlie wouldn't be able to enjoy the performance. It was her first real show of Rachel's, as it was really only her second role back. She had taken a break from the Funny Girl revival to have Charlie and then went back once she was a year old. She only left recently when she was offered this opportunity and the pregnancy with Christopher had began. They had decided, after this run it would be it for awhile. It had been her choice, not his. So this might, and would probably be the last time for awhile that Charlie would get to see her mother do what she did best.
And he was beginning to regret that. He watched Charlie more than the production in front of him, her attention stolen as the scenes unfolded in front of her. He swore she stopped breathing every time Rachel came on stage and he had to smile to himself. He was familiar with that feeling. He still got it every time he saw her perform, or heard her sing even just around their apartment. Rachel was a star. And everyone knew she was destined for greatness. And now Charlie did too.
When it was over, he had a hard time holding Charlie back from ambushing the stage.
"Daddy, I want to see Mommy!" She pouted as she looked up at him. "The play is over!"
"We have to wait sweet pea. Mommy has to get changed and we can't just go barging back there..."
The look on her face was one that he knew well. It was that stubborn, determined look that he had seen many times on his wife.
"But I want to tell her how prettttttty she sang," she whined.
"And you can, you just need to wait."
Charlie huffed and crossed her arms over her small chest.
"Charlotte," he warned, trying to keep the smile off his face. "Be patient, love bug."
She pouted once more. Finn couldn't help but chuckle a little bit.
They waited a few more minutes before Finn decided the crowd had thinned enough for them to start making their way to the side of the stage. Rachel had instructed Finn to come to the left side, and let the security guard there know that they were there to see her. She wanted to give Charlie the full experience. Charlie was bouncing with excitement as they walked towards the stage. Finn could barely keep her in line, she was more excited to see Rachel now, after the show, than she had been when they had touched down at LAX. It warmed his heart when he saw her, because he knew how much she loved and adored Rachel. The time apart had been hard of Charlie, just as much if not more than it had been on Finn and Rachel separately.
They approached the security guard who was. standing closest to the door.
"Well hello," the older man smiled, first at Charlie and then at Finn. He crouched down and held out a gold star sticker to Charlie, who hesitated for a moment. She turned to Finn who nodded slightly before she turned again to take it from his hand. "I bet you're here to see Miss Rachel."
Finn watched as Charlie's face lit up at the mention of Rachel's name. "She's my Mommy!" she exclaimed as she leaned up on her toes that were encased in her favourite pair of pink jewel encrusted sandals.
"I had no idea," the older man joked. Charlie grinned. She may only be four, but she was used to people telling her that she looked like her Mommy. She loved it. Charlie pushed her wild wavy hair away from her face once more.
"Where is she?" she grinned. The older guard stood up finally and reached for the door.
"She's waiting for you. First dressing room on the left," he winked.
Charlie grinned and reached up for Finn's hand. "Come on Daddy!"
Finn laughed at Charlie's insistence, nodded at the guard who had let them in and allowed Charlie to tag him along to find Rachel's dressing room.
Rachel waited patiently on the couch that was in her dressing room for Charlie and Finn to arrive. She nibbled her lip as she watched the door, her hands falling to her bump as she waited. Her eyes had caught Finn's during the performance and the look in his eyes had warmed her heart. But it was the look of pure adoration, pure love that she had seen reflected back in her daughters eyes and that is what had propelled her through the entire performance.
The door to her dressing room flew open and she had to hold back a laugh as Charlie tumbled in without any preamble.
"Mommy!" she squealed as she ran across the rather large room and threw herself at her. "Mommy you were so good Mommy, when you sanged you were so pretty..." the words came fast and furious out of Charlie's mouth as she clamoured up to sit on her lap as best as she could despite her bump. She reached her small hands up to press them to each of Rachel's cheeks.
Rachel couldn't bring her mouth to move as she stared down at Charlie, who was heaping praise and positive affirmations at her about what she had just seen. But she tore her eyes away as Charlie started to ramble on about what Finn had bought her from the concession stand during the brief intermission. When she mentioned the sugary sour patch kids that she had eaten suddenly the accelerated speed of her speech made sense. But when she looked up at Finn she didn't see guilt for the sugar in his eyes. Instead she saw adoration, that was much like what she saw reflected back in Charlie's eyes. Love and awe that she had seen in his whisky coloured eyes on countless other occasions in their lives together; a look that was just like how he looked at her all through high school, on their wedding day, during her Funny Girl run and especially the day they had welcomed Charlie. She lived for the look in his eyes, and it made her feel warm, loved and cherished.
She was shaken from her thoughts by when she felt Finn's warm hand touch her shoulder.
"Baby, you were amazing," he smiled before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She turned her head with Charlie's hands still plastered on her cheeks in time to capture Finn's lips with her own.
Charlie couldn't stop talking about the performance. As they sat at dinner at a restaurant that wasn't too far from the Bowl. Rachel laughed as she watched her try and stab her pasta with her fork as she continued to basically retell the entire of Phantom to both her and Finn, though it was her own 4 year old interpretation. Rachel leaned back in her chair as she took a break from eating her own taco salad and took a moment to stretch her arms out a bit. Finn reached across the table for a moment, taking a break from his own pasta dish to rest his hand on hers. She entwined his fingers with his own as he stared at her intently, a small smile on his lips as Charlie's chatter finally died down and she went back to her meal.
They spent the evening exploring the area around the hotel. There was a mini golf place set up a few blocks down and the moment Charlie saw it, much like the bowling alley the night before her excitement could barely be contained. Finn left the decision up to her, and the moment Charlie's eyes were trained on her she knew she couldn't say no. She was beyond tired and her feet ached from the show and walking around, her back hurt and the baby had shifted and taken up residence right under her ribs but she couldn't say no to her little girl. The truth was her and Finn were leaving tomorrow after breakfast to go back to New York and she just wanted to soak up every moment she had them with her. She still had two more weeks of her run, two more weeks of an empty hotel room and room service for dinner. She wanted to soak in every moment, every laugh, every word that tumbled out of Charlie's mouth and absorb every touch and caress Finn offered her. So while Finn helped Charlie set up her shot on hole 5, she stood back, her phone clutched in her hand and took some pictures of the two of them. If she couldn't have them with her much longer, she was going to try and create as many ways to conjure them up as she needed to. She smiled as she watched Charlie listen to Finn intently before breaking out into a grin and swinging her putter back to take the shot. It was lined up perfectly, and she happened to capture the exact moment Charlie jumped up to celebrate her hole in one on her phone.
"Mommy! Did you see?!" she giggled as she danced around and almost clubbed Finn in the knees with her putter. "It went in on one try!"
Finn winced as she swung again before taking a step away from her. "It's called a hole in one Charlie," he laughed.
"Yeah. That. Did you see?!"
Rachel grinned. "I did!" Charlie bounced around for another minute before Finn finally tugged her out of the way so he could take his shot.
It took him three tries to get the small green ball in the hole.
"You didn't get a hole in one Daddy," Charlie announced from where she was standing beside Rachel. "You got a three in one!"
Rachel couldn't help but laugh at her logic.
"I don't think it quite works that way Charlie," Finn grumbled before rushing over to her and picking her up as she squealed. Rachel laughed as she watched him run over to the next hole with Charlie swung over his shoulder. She snapped a picture just as Charlie squeezed her eyes as a loud laugh tumbled from her lips.
As Finn carried a sleeping Charlie down the hallway towards her suite, Rachel felt all of the happiness, the elation that she had felt while spending the evening with them slowly drain out of her fingertips. Getting to the suite signalled that they're visit was almost over and she had to force herself to just watch Charlie's face as they entered the suite and not think about anything else. The little girl grumbled in her sleep much like she always did, but didn't really move anymore when Finn laid her down on the pull out couch. Rachel made herself busy going to grab her pajamas that Finn had packed back into her bag before they left for the performance. They worked together to get her dressed in her pajamas and tucked in, all the while she remained sleeping.
"She looks so peaceful when she sleeps," Rachel whispered as Finn walked over to where she was standing and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her in. She bit her lip as she stared at Charlie another moment before Finn pulled her towards her bedroom. He didn't utter a word as he tugged her by the hand, pulled her into the room and closed the door behind her. He pulled her until his own knees hit the mattress and he was forced to sit down while she remained in front of him. He gave her a soft smile as he stared at her. She nibbled her lip to keep from allowing the tears that were forcing their way up to run down her cheeks.
"Hey," he whispered. He tugged her closer and raised his hand to touch her cheek. "What's wrong?"
"Nothings wrong," she whispered as she leaned into his hand. "I'm just tired."
He stared at her intently and her lip began to tremble. "I don't want you guys to leave," she whimpered. Finn used the hand that was still on her waist to pull her into his lap. She landed with a grunt but curled into his body anyway, grabbing his t-shirt in her fist.
"I know sweetheart," he whispered as he pressed his lips to her head and wrapped his arms tightly around her body. "I know."
She hiccupped against his chest. "I'm going to miss you so much."
He laughed, causing his chest to rumble under her cheek. "We haven't even left yet." He reached down and pushed her hair away from her face. "Two more weeks and then you're going to be so sick of seeing my face," he laughed again but became serious when it died on his lips. "I love you Rachel and I'm so proud of you..."
Her eyes watered as she looked up at him. "I love you too," she whispered with a thick voice. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. They moved slowly, each of them taking their time to really enjoy what was happening. Rachel's fist tightened around his shirt as his hands shifted on her waist to pull her closer to him. When they pulled away she gasped against his mouth before leaning in to start all over.
She rode with them to the airport the next morning after they grabbed brunch in the restaurant of the hotel. Gone was Charlie's excited nature that she had been showing all weekend. Instead, in its place was a clingy Charlotte who refused to let go of Rachel's hand while they pulled up to LAX. The three of them stayed silent as Finn got out of the car and grabbed their bags from the trunk of the chauffeured car while Rachel held Charlie's hand at the side.
"Can't I stay with you Mommy?" Charlie asked softly as they began the walk into LAX. She tugged on Rachel's hand so she would look at her. "I want to stay with you Mommy."
Rachel swallowed hard as she looked down at her. "I know you do sweetheart," she paused.
"Well why can't I?" The little girls eyes watered as she looked up at her mother. Rachel helplessly looked over her head at Finn.
"Because Mommy has to work sweetheart."
"But you have to work too Daddy," she whimpered. "Why can't I just stay with Mommy?"
"Sweetheart, there's no one to watch you out here while Mommy works," Finn whispered. By just looking at Rachel's face he knew in a matter of moments he was probably going to have two hysterical girls on his hands. And they had to get through security and catch their flight.
"I can stay at the theatre, in mommy's room," she cried. "I don't want to go to dance camp or see Uncle Blaine!" she cried as she stomped her foot. Blaine watched her during the weekends Finn had to work and some of the evenings as well. Kurt was in the middle of a big assignment for vogue and couldn't help out. Normally Charlie loved spending time with Blaine.
"You're too young sweetheart, you have to go back to New York with Daddy," Rachel tried even though her own throat was starting to feel thick as she ran her hands through her daughters hair. Charlie let out a sob and threw her small arms around Rachel as much as she could. Rachel's own tears began to fall as she looked helplessly at Finn before crouching to give Charlie a proper hug. "It's going to be okay sweetheart, Mommy's going to be home in two weeks. That's it. We've already survived two weeks, think we can do it again?" she whispered into her ear as her own tears fell and she smoothed her hair. "Can you be a brave big girl?" she whispered.
Charlie didn't answer, instead she wrapped her arms around her tighter.
"I love you Charlotte," she whispered against her ear.
"I love you too Mommy," she hiccupped. "I guess I'll go home with Daddy," she sighed.
"He does need all the help he can get, whose going to remind him about the smelly sheets?" Rachel smiled.
Charlotte giggled. Rachel kissed her head one more time before standing up right. She went to move to give Finn a hug, but was stopped by a tug on her shirt. She looked down to see Charlie moving to place a kiss on her belly.
"I had to say bye to Chris too," she sniffled with a grin on her face. Rachel swallowed hard just as she looked at Finn.
He took a step forward and pressed a delicate kiss on her lips. "Take care of yourself and our boy, okay?"he whispered when he pulled away. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Two weeks," he said firmly as he rubbed her bump gently.
"Two weeks," she smiled hesitantly before leaning in for one more kiss. When they pulled away she whispered, "Go. Before you miss your flight."
Finn could only nod as he reached down to pick up their bags and took Charlie's hand. She had gone quiet during her parents exchange.
"Bye Mommy," she whispered. "I love you."
Rachel swallowed hard. "Bye sweetheart. Love you too."
Finn blew her one more kiss before tugging Charlie's hand and leading her towards security. Rachel wrapped her arms around herself as she watched them slowly get smaller in the distance. She wanted to watch them all the way through, but tears started to blur her vision and she didn't want to attract too much attention to herself. She waited until she could barely see Charlie's bright pink backpack before she turned around and headed back out to the car that was waiting for her.
Happy Early Valentine's Day