So, I just couldn't leave Finn and Rachel alone from the "Home" universe I created. I'm always so interested in future Finchel stories and I felt like I had to continue to tell their story, considering it won't ever come to fruition. So, here's Birthday Blizzard! Hope you enjoy it, it's going to be prettttttty angsty ;)
"You just don't stop, do you?" Finn snorted when he saw his seven and a half month pregnant wife cooking up a storm in their kitchen. She turned to him and shooed him off, knowing he was going to say something about her "relaxing" or "resting" which was ridiculous because she was perfectly fine. Plus, she promised Carole she'd provide the desserts, although Carole had also urged her to take it easy, and she very obviously ignored that.
Everyone just needed to stop worrying.
Finn walked over to her and placed a supportive hand on her lower back. She had been complaining about the belly weight taking a toll on her little body recently and he couldn't help but feel responsible for that.
He kissed the side of her head, "You sure you don't want any help?"
She looked behind her shoulder at him and softened, "No, it's very sweet of you to offer but I'd like the dessert to be edible, Sweetie."
Finn jerked his head back at the really smooth backhanded compliment she just delivered, "Way harsh, Rach."
She deflated a bit, "I'm sorry! I just—everyone's been on my case about overexerting myself and the baby and it's, well, quite frankly it's fucking pissing me off!"
Finn put his hand on his hip and pursed his lips, really trying his hardest not to laugh at her usage of the ultimate bad word.
"I'm just worried about you, Baby. I love you and her," He stressed, cupping her belly, "And I just want you both to be safe."
Rachel leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I understand that, Finn. But cooking isn't going to put us over the edge, I promise."
He raised an eyebrow at her, "You better. I don't what I'd do if something happened…"
Rachel knew where this was coming from. She sort of had the worst first trimester known to man and had only recently gotten to a stable place where Finn didn't feel the need to drive home on his lunch break to make sure she wasn't passed out somewhere. Finn still carried her up most flights of stairs and wouldn't let her stay on her feet for too long.
"We're okay, now. We got through the scary part." She whispered gently, kissing his chest where her face laid.
"I know I'm being overprotective I just can't help it. I'll try and give you more space, okay?" She brightened at that; happy they could come to some sort of agreement on the whole thing. Rachel Berry-Hudson was independent, damn it, and she hated feeling like she needed to be taken care of.
Their attention turned away from Rachel's health when they heard a particularly attention starved dog whining behind them.
"Oh, Cliffy. I haven't given you a pet in like an hour! How rude of me." Finn watched as Rachel winced when she bent down to give Cliff a belly rub. Normally he'd be at her side, doting, but he was really trying to not freak out about everything. He owed her that.
"Cliff, you wanna go for a walk?" Ok, so he may not be at Rachel's side, but he couldn't stand to see her hunched over spoiled Cliff as she pretended she wasn't in pain. He had to remedy the situation.
The dog left Rachel's side in an instant and jumped up so that his front paws rested on Finn's stomach as if to say, "Let's go, Dad!"
Rachel frowned, she knew that Finn had diverted Cliff's attention on purpose, but at the same time her back felt like it was about to break. She stood up a bit haphazardly and for an instant missed Finn's cautious hands that were usually at her side.
She put a hand to her lower back as she followed Finn and Cliff to the front door. As Finn hooked the leash onto Cliff's collar, Rachel wrapped his scarf around his neck and squeezed the hat she had knitted in a fit of nesting over his head. He stood up and she held open his mittens for him to put his hands through.
"This is overkill, Rach. I'll be back in ten minutes."
She crossed her arms over her chest, "You want to catch a cold and give it to the baby?"
He sighed, of course he didn't, and Rachel slapped his gloves on him like his mother had when he was five years old and wanted to play in the snow. She reached up on her tip toes to give him a sweet kiss on the nose.
"Don't be too long, Daddy. We still have to shop for the finishing touches on the nursery." He smiled from ear to ear at the thought. Normally, he hated shopping, but he loved helping Rachel pick out things for the baby's room because it made everything seem all the more real. He was even getting into the color and design scheme with her and Kurt—he just wanted his little girl to have everything.
Finn reached down to rub her belly and he kissed her forehead, "Daddy will be right back."
Finn returned ten minutes later on the dot and was actually pretty damn glad that Rachel had forced him to bundle up, although he'd never admit that to her.
She'd gloat.
When he opened the door what he heard sent his heart right into his throat.
"FINN! FINN!" Rachel shouted, sounding completely distressed and he sprinted towards the kitchen with Cliff in tow.
"RACHEL, I'M COMING!" He called after her, letting her know he was there to help her.
He nearly threw up imagining the things that could be happening, until he eyed his tiny wife on the floor surrounded by chocolate goop. Goop was everywhere—hanging off of cabinets, and refrigerator door handles, and the walls. He turned to see Cliff licking a spot next to his bowl.
"What the hell happened? I thought you were dying!" He called trying to help her up off of the floor.
"It exploded, Finn! It just—it—I opened the oven and it went everywhere!"
Finn pulled her in close kissing the top of her head, "I don't care about that, I'm just glad you're alright."
"But the kitchen is brand new and I've already ruined it!" She cried into his shirt.
"Babe, it's just a little mess. I'll clean it up. Why don't you go lay down for a bit."
He wasn't sure if it was the shell shock or the fact that she had been working herself like a dog, but Rachel silently complied and shuffled into the living room to snuggle up on the couch.
Finn rubbed his temples taking in the scene before him. How the hell did she manage to do this?
As if on cue, his mother called him and he picked up, "Hey Mom, not really a good time…"
Carole laughed, "Should I go pick up some dessert?"
He sighed, defeated, "Yeah, probably."
After scrubbing the kitchen and having to forcefully remove Cliff from the area on four separate occasions, he headed into the living room to find Rachel passed out on the couch. His heart warmed at the sight of her little body and her burgeoning belly that was being cradled by her hand.
He leaned down to kiss her cheek and she stirred, her face forming an immediate pout.
"What's wrong, Baby?"
She winced trying to fix herself on the couch but failing, "My back."
He hurried over to the other side to lift her and quickly placed some pillows behind her and elevated her feet so that they were perched on top of a few baby books on the coffee table.
"Better?" He asked hopefully, ready to do anything else she needed.
She nodded but she wasn't too convincing.
"Rach, should I call Dr. Evanson?" She shifted her eyes around the room like a guilty child and shook her head no.
"No, I'm alright. I just shouldn't have napped on the sofa is all." Finn wasn't satisfied with her answer but he also didn't want to elevate her stress levels with a fight.
"Let's just take it easy today. We'll order in, watch a movie, I'll rub your feet…" He tried to entice her.
"But we have to get bedding and curtains and a few more pictures for the nursery." She protested weakly, knowing she should probably rest.
He felt terrible for her. Her face was flushed and she was so obviously uncomfortable and she had spent the previous five months yakking her brains out. She had sacrificed everything for their baby and all she wanted to do was go shopping for her and she couldn't.
"Why don't we online shop? Anything you want I'll put on rush delivery." He offered, sitting next to her on the couch and wrapping his arms around her.
She leaned into him and a smile crept up onto her lips, "I suppose that'd be okay. The weather's pretty bad and we have a busy day tomorrow with your birthday so—"
Finn cut her off with a kiss and she bit her lower lip. It never ceased to amaze her that she could still be so attracted to him after all of these years. Her affection towards him just grew with time, not to mention carrying someone's baby made you feel pretty close to them. Regardless, his kiss made her heart skip a beat like they were back in the McKinley halls.
"You know, we have to pick out a name for her, too. Tonight would be as good a time as any…" He whispered, his forehead leaning on hers.
"I thought we liked Lily?" She asked, watching his hand reach over and lift up the material of her shirt so he could get to her bare belly.
He leaned down and kissed it and looked back up at her, "I did until I realized it was one of the most popular names last year. She's our star, she needs something different."
Rachel grinned at the reference, "Thank God, you seemed so gung ho on it and I didn't want to hurt your feelings. I like Lily but not for our daughter."
He chuckled at how Rachel had mellowed over the years. Had he gotten her pregnant half a decade ago, he wouldn't have had naming privileges at all, much less an equal vote.
"I think we'll know when we see her." Rachel said as she ran her hands through his hair. He was currently resting his head on her tummy and rubbing it.
"Rachel Berry-Hudson, going with the flow. Who would've thought!" He teased, coming back up to eye level.
"I've matured, I am going to be a mother now you know."
"Oh, I know. I was the one who put the baby in you." He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.
"Finn!" She smacked his arm playfully and he shrugged.
"What? I'm glad I did. It changed everything for the better." Turning serious he linked his hand with hers.
She brought his hand to her mouth to kiss it, "It did, didn't it?"
He leaned in to kiss her, trying not to put his full body weight on her but it proving difficult since he was so big and they were both squeezed on the love seat.
In the middle of their make out session, Finn's hand slipped for a moment and he put a little extra pressure on Rachel and she yelped out in pain.
"I'm so sorry!" He called as he jumped back, trying to examine her for any damage.
She didn't look very mad at him though.
"It's alright, Baby. Why don't we just start shopping before it gets too late okay? I'm sort of tired…"
Great, he had totally killed the mood. Smooth, Hudson, real smooth.
She went to get up to fetch the laptop but Finn pulled her back down onto the couch and insisted he'd get up to get it. She silently thanked him and as he walked out of the room he saw her face drop into a painful expression and her hand shoot her to back.
When he came back, he noticed Rachel was trying to pretend like nothing was wrong but the pain was evident over her forced and pale features.
He set the laptop on the table and draped his arm around her, "Rach, are you alright?"
She shrugged, placing her hand to her back, "Just a little sore."
Finn's brow furrowed. Rachel never usually complained unless it was bad.
"Can I do anything for you? Get you anything?" He asked helplessly.
She shook her head, "No, I'm fine. Let's pick out the comforter and curtains before Kurt can swoop in and change everything."
Finn smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood, but as they browsed around and decided on a lavender and cream flowered printed comforter and curtains to match the airy light gray walls, his heart wasn't in it. He kept on eyeing Rachel who would shift uncomfortably every few minutes.
When they put the credit card information in Rachel shut the laptop and laid her head sleepily against her husband's body.
"Baby, would you mind carrying me up to bed?" She asked sweetly.
Finn's stomach dropped at the request. Rachel asking for help? Something had to be up.
"Of course, Baby." He kissed her head and scooped her up in his arms. They ascended the stairs and Rachel had already fallen asleep. He tucked her into bed and climbed in with her.
He gently crawled over to place a kiss on Rachel's belly. It was protocol for him to say goodnight to his baby girl, but this time he had a special request.
"Go easy on Mommy, okay?"
"Rach, you look so beautiful." He breathed as he stepped out of their master bath and into the room where Rachel was putting on her pearl earrings Finn had gotten her. She was in this deep red dress that brought out her dark features and made Finn's heart skip a beat.
She blushed, running her hand along her belly, "We wanted to get dressed up for Daddy's birthday."
"Thanks, Baby." He leaned in to kiss her and she caressed his face with her hands as he deepened the kiss.
"Someone's frisky." She taunted, winking at him before returning to her jewelry.
"It's not every day you turn twenty-eight." He grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands resting on her belly.
"That is true. I guess we'll just have to hurry back home after cake, huh?" She mused, talking into the mirror.
"I guess so." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and seductively let his towel drop as he searched for clothes.
Rachel bit her lip and fanned herself a little, tonight was going to be perfect so long as this nagging back pain would go away. She was beginning to get worried.
Not to mention the fact that the supposed winter storm that was headed their way this weekend may turn into a full blown blizzard. Since all of their friends flew in for the occasion, there was no canceling it now. Finn's 28th birthday was going on, feet of snow or not.
Two hours into the party and it didn't look like anyone would be going anywhere.
"I literally don't think I've ever seen it snow so much in so little a time in my entire life." Kurt said in amazement, looking out of the window.
"Listen, we got a bunch of food, a bunch of beer, Carole—excuse me, Mrs. Hummel, said she's got flashlights and extra batteries and stuff. Why are we complaining? Let's rock this blizzard." Puck chanted, pumping his fist and inappropriately grinding into Quinn.
"Enough, Noah. Henry is right over there!" She hissed, pointing to where Puck's son, Henry, and Kurt and Blaine's daughter, Emily, were playing with blocks.
He rolled his eyes and released as Sam jumped into the room excitedly, "Guys! I was just watching the news. Apparently half of Lima has already lost power. Oh, and there's like a state of emergency and stuff so no one under any circumstances are allowed on the roads."
Blaine looked encouraged by this, "I think this is a great opportunity for us to catch up again! I mean how long has it been since we were all in the same place?"
Mercedes and Santana corrected him quickly, "Two months ago at Finn and Rachel's wedding." They said in unison.
He nodded his head and quietly retreated.
Finn kept eying Rachel who was happily talking to Brittany about the world tour she just went on with Miley Cyrus.
He hated the thought of being trapped – what if something happened with Rachel?
"Come on, Birthday Boy! Let's have a little jam sesh." Puck slapped him on the back and Sam excitedly followed them into the basement where Finn's old drum set was still kept.
Finn kept turning his head to make sure Rachel was alright. He noticed Mercedes and Tina helping her down the stairs and he was trying not to hover, so he let it go.
Burt and his mom had fixed up the basement real nice with awesome couches, a bar, and a huge TV screen. He figured it was good to hang down here for a bit to let his parents and the kids have a little respite. The glee club tended to get a bit rowdy.
He sat behind his drum set and his worry seemed to slip away. Sam and Puck grabbed their guitars (they brought them just in case they'd all randomly want to break into song) and they began to play "Jessie's Girl," which elicited some laughter from the group of friends and a look of pure longing in Rachel's eyes. He blew her a kiss and she pretended to catch it and place it over her heart.
The drumming and strumming and singing continued until the lights began to flicker.
"I think this would be a good time for cake!" Carole called down to them. They all agreed and Finn made Rachel wait until the rest of them filed up the stairs so he could cautiously lead her up them.
"Baby, you alright?" He asked putting one hand to the small of her back and the other one gripping her hand to lead her forward.
She nodded silently.
"You've been unusually quiet." He nudged on, trying to get to the bottom of her behavior.
She shrugged, "I guess I'm just a little tired is all."
"I wish I could put you in our own bed and take care of you." He lamented, rubbing her back.
"It's fine, besides, I don't want to miss any of your birthday or all of our friends." She smiled.
They walked together towards the dining room where everyone crowded around the table in the dark to sing to him.
If he was honest, the scene of his best friends all grown up and still together made him choke up. With Rachel still by his side and about to have their first baby, he wasn't sure if life got any better than this.
That is until after he blew his candles out and Kurt tried to turn the light back on… and it wouldn't.
They started to hear the kids complain from the other room that the TV wasn't working as well and they all knew they were screwed.
Burt slapped Finn on the back and called out to the males of the group, "Alright boys, time to chop some wood!"
No one could see, but Rachel grimaced, holding her hand to her back that was currently on fire.
As soon as Carole and Quinn returned from the kitchen to light candles and get some flashlights, Carole shone the light on Rachel who was clutching the wall next to her.
Quinn gasped and she and Tina hurried over to her, "Are you alright?" Santana asked nervously.
Rachel's face was pale and the pain was certainly something she hadn't experienced before.
"I think I just need to sit down." She said, her voice shaking. Quinn and Tina led her to the couch where Henry, Emily, and Tina and Mike's son, MJ (short for Mike Jr.), looked over at their Aunt Rachel in horror.
"Is Aunt Rachel okay, Q?" Henry asked, holding Emily's hand as she grew upset at Rachel's distress.
"I'm fine, Sweetheart. Why don't you take MJ and Emmy into the kitchen, there's lots of dessert." She tried to smile and Henry nodded obediently, taking Emily and MJ by the hand and led them into the next room.
Quinn looked at her seriously now that Santana had laid candles around the room, illuminating it enough to function.
"Rachel, be honest with me. Do you think you're in labor?"
Rachel bit back tears, terrified, "I don't know." She blurted out and Quinn looked over anxiously at Carole who ushered Brittany to go get the guys.
"I—I'm not even eight months yet! What's going to happen to my baby?!" She sobbed and Santana kneeled before her.
"You listen to me, Berry. You're going to be fine and your baby is going to be fine. You just need to hang in there and be strong, okay? You're the most persistent and obnoxiously resilient pain in the ass I know and you're going to get through this."
Rachel silently thanked her for the pep talk as Carole took a seat next to her on the couch.
"Your water hasn't broken yet, has it?" She shook her head at her mother-in-law who sighed in relief.
"Alright, that's good. I'm going to put your legs up, Rachel. Okay?"
She bit her lip and nodded, allowing anyone to do anything that'd help her or the baby.
She couldn't help but cry, she felt like her whole life was spiraling out of control.
"Shh, it's going to be alright. I won't let anything bad happen, okay?" Her mother-in-law, who felt a lot more like her mother, soothed her and ran her thumb over her forehead.
"I'm so scared." She managed to blurt out in between heaving for air.
Finn burst through the door and was immediately at Rachel's side, "Baby!" He kneeled in front of her where Santana just had a held her hand tightly, "What's happening?"
He searched everyone's face for a comforting answer but he knew there wasn't one.
"Finn, we think Rachel might be in labor."
Finn's head snapped up from its perch at Rachel's side and he begged his mother to tell him something different.
"She can't be!" He cried, "She's only thirty weeks!"
"Finn, I'm so sorry." Rachel sobbed as she reached out her hand for her husband.
"Baby, don't apologize—Jesus Christ, we gotta get her to the hospital!" Burt put his hand on Kurt's shoulder as he looked on in horror.
"Someone needs to help her!" Kurt yelped, it literally pained him to see his friend in this much distress.
Sam spoke up, "I'll call." He retreated from the room and into the kitchen with Quinn and Puck who went to check on the kids.
"Please don't come now, Baby, it's Daddy's birthday, not yours." Rachel was hysterical now, trying to talk her unborn child out of being born.
Finn was frozen, watching his wife clutch at her round belly as he helplessly looked to his mother for some kind of answer.
She looked at him with a stone cold face, "Finn, can you come with me for a minute?"
"I'm not leaving her." Finn proclaimed, kissing her temple and brushing some hair from her face.
Mercedes walked over, "Finn, I've got her. Go with your mom."
He reluctantly left Rachel and Mercedes took over clutching her hand and coaxing her into some sort of relaxation.
"Finn, we're going to have to deliver this baby here."
"WHAT? You can't be serious! The baby's not even old enough, she'll die, Mom!"
"Keep your voice down! This is her only chance, Baby, I'm sorry."
"But—her water hasn't broken yet, that's a good sign right?"
"FINN!" Rachel screamed and he bolted back into the room. Everyone looked down in horror at the pool of water seeping through Rachel's dress and onto the couch.
This was really happening.
"No! No! No! No!" She wept, holding her belly.
Finn gripped her in his arms, "It'll be okay, just deep breaths okay?"
"She's too little, Finn!" She bellowed, hysteria overcoming her.
"She'll be okay you just need to relax, okay? What did we learn at those baby classes? If Mommy's calm, baby's calm, right?" She nodded forcefully, her face contorting as she screamed out in pain.
"Ahh!" She squeezed Finn's hand tightly and he watched the color drain from her face. He eyed the clock—7:36pm.
"This can't be happening!" She cried out in disbelief.
"A Dios Mio! I can't take this! It's not fair!" Santana lost it and Brittany followed her into the kitchen where she broke down in her arms.
Sam came back his face stoic, "They uh, they can't even get any emergency vehicles on the road. The few snow plows they sent out got stuck. They said we might be waiting till morning." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor like it was somehow his fault.
"This has to be some sort of cosmic joke, right?!" Kurt said sardonically as he sat on the edge of the couch to hold Rachel's other hand.
"I don't care what they said! We're getting her to the hospital!" Finn jumped up to get his keys so he could start his car but he wasn't even able to push the door open any more. In a fit of frustration he kicked it and punched it, leaving his hand raw.
"Stop that! Finn!" Rachel called nervously.
"I promised I'd take care of you and the baby." He explained.
"By punching the door? This is it, Finn. We have no choice, I'm going to have to have her here." She was more composed now, either the shock had worn off or she had sadly accepted her fate.
"Why don't we take you upstairs where you'll be more comfortable, Sweetheart." Carole offered, currently holding her hand and rubbing it.
"Blaine, Mike, Sam, Puck and I will hold down the fort down here with the kids and all and if you guys need anything we're at your service." Burt promised, walking over to Rachel and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, "You got this, kiddo." He whispered to her and her eyes became watery again.
Finn stoically walked over to where his wife lay helplessly and lifted her into his arms, bridal style, "I have you, Baby." She nuzzled against his chest and his heart sunk. The poor woman in his arms was counting on him and he was acting like a total idiot. He had to suck it up and be a man. Be a husband. Be a father. A father. "I love you so much, Rachel." He proclaimed, holding her even closer.
He gulped.
Things come full circle, don't they? He laid his pregnant wife down in his teenage bed to give birth in the same house he took her virginity in.
She looked up at him, terrified, and clutched his hand.
"Promise me that you'll do whatever it takes to save her, okay?"
"Baby, of course I will!"
"Anything?"
"I will do anything for our daughter, Rachel." She smiled up at him, contented by his answer. "I love you, Finn." She said airily, before slowly slipping into unconsciousness.
"Rach? Rachel?!" She felt Finn shake her, his screams drowning out as everything around her went black.