Here you go! My very first (and maybe only) story! I enjoy trying new things and I figured I would give this a try too. This oneshot/drabble thing was inspired by a true story (mine). Special thanks to the awesome people (you know who you are) on twitter -and in real life- who encouraged me to give this a go. Super special thanks to Mel, who made it better and put up with my constant nagging. Enjoy the fluff!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the characters, nor do I own any of the songs used. "Don't Stop Believing" & "Faithfully" are originally by Journey and "Two is Better than One" is originally by Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift check them out!
Two is Better than One
Rachel Berry loves karaoke. As someone who loves the stage and hopes to one day be on Broadway, she figures it's a way to keep up her talent and have a little fun. So, naturally, she was excited when Tina told her about a new karaoke place downtown. Luckily, her friends Santana and Blaine like it too, so it wasn't difficult to convince them to join her. After putting on her favorite dress and her favorite heels, she heads out to meet her friends; finding Santana flirting out in front of their building. After practically tearing the Latina away from the other young girl, the two head off for the bar.
Rachel practically skipped down the street before she turned to her friend. "I'm so glad you two were able to come tonight! I heard this place is amazing. "
"It better be Chica, the last place you drug us to was awful. Is Blaine meeting us there?" Santana said with a playful roll of her eyes. It's not like Santana didn't like going to these types of places, she just hated trying new places.
"Oh come on Santana! The last place wasn't that bad! Blaine should be there already."
"They didn't even serve alcohol, Rachel. If I have to sit around and listen to people butcher Mariah Carey all night I wants to get ma drink on while I do it!"
"First round is on me," Rachel promised, her face lighting up as they rounded a corner. "Santana! There it is!"
Santana looked up at the sign then at Rachel. "DUETS? I wonder why they call it that?"
"I'm not sure, Tina just said her boyfriend Mike owned it and we should give it a try."
Rachel and Santana entered the bar looking around for Blaine. There was a long bar running the length of the room, with the stage set up along the back wall. The tables were scattered throughout the space. The place wasn't packed but it was busy and there were only a few empty tables. There was already a couple singing when they arrived, they sounded ok, but it seemed like they had no idea how to sing together. They spotted Blaine sitting at a table close to the stage and began making their way to him.
"Ladies! You look gorgeous." Blaine said after a visual appraisal.
"Thank you Blaine, You look pretty great yourself. What do you think of this place so far?" Rachel said after a quick hug.
"There is a bar so it's already better than the last place!" Santana said, her eyes still scanning the room.
Blaine chuckled "It's like they knew you would appreciate it, San. Let's put our names down to sing! That's why we're here right?" They all took their seats and filled out the karaoke cards while they waited for their waitress.
Finn Hudson hates karaoke. Sure he CAN sing, but that doesn't mean he wants to sing in front of people. Unfortunately for him, he lost a bet he made with his step brother Kurt and now he is being dragged to that new karaoke place downtown.
"Kurt, why are you making me go to a karaoke bar? You know I don't like singing in front of people."
Kurt looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow. "Why did you make the deal, if you were going to whine the whole time? I told you that you would do well on your placement test; maybe you should stop doubting yourself? FDNY will be lucky to have you, now let's go!"
The cab stopped and Finn paid the cabbie as they stepped onto the curb. He looked at his brother. "I wonder why it's called DUETS?"
As Kurt walked in the door he looked over his shoulder "Let's go in and find out."
They made their way into the bar and found a table in the middle. Kurt began filling out their karaoke cards as soon as they sat down. Finn groaned and called the waitress over. He was going to need a drink.
For the past hour there had been a steady stream of karaoke favorites. Some people could sing, some couldn't, some were drunk, and some weren't. Santana had her turn, nailing Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, smirking at the audience and joining her group back at the table. Kurt had just finished up his turn, stunning the audience with his rendition of Bad Romance.
It was then that Mike took the stage, microphone in hand. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Duets! It's time once again to make good on our name. For those of you who don't know, every hour we pick two of our guests to come up a sing a duet together." There was a mix of looks of horror and delight throughout the crowd. "Our partners this hour are… Rachel Berry… and"
Rachel looked at her friends with her mouth open "I cannot share the stage with someone who isn't as talented as me! What if someone see's, I can't let this effect my career!"
Blaine put his hands on Rachel's shoulder with a small smile "Rachel, it's fine. You will be fine. It's just for fun, you won't be judged on a random karaoke performance. At least now we know why it's called Duets, right? Go on up, have fun!"
Rachel reluctantly stood and began making her way to the stage. She was handed a microphone by a guy in a wheelchair who seemed to be handling the music. She began to look around for her potential duet partners
Just then Mike speaks again "….. Finn Hudson! Come on up you guys!"
Finn groaned and looked at Kurt with a raised eyebrow "You knew about this didn't you?"
Kurt shrugged but had a wicked look "I'll never tell, now get up there!" Finn stood and began making his way to the stage; he was going to make his brother pay for this! He looked at the tiny brunette already at the side of the stage holding a microphone. For somebody so small her legs seemed to go on forever! Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. A timid half small graces his lips as he approached her.
Rachel looked on from the stage as Finn stood and began walking towards the stage, biting her lower lip. He was so fun to look at that her worries about him keeping up with her vocally took a back seat as she watched him climb up on the stage, taking in his height and smile. As he took a microphone from the same man she did their eyes met and a shiver raced down her spine.
Mike's voice cut back in, breaking the moment. "Artie has chosen your song from our karaoke greatest hits list." Mike stepped over to the man in the wheel chair, quickly taking a piece of paper from him before going back to the center of the stage. He looks over to the waiting couple then lifts the mic to his mouth. "Let's give Artie over here a hand. He keeps the music flowing!" As the crowd is applauding, he looks at the piece of paper, and then addresses the crowd again. "Oh nice! Don't Stop Believing. That is a great one. Rachel? Finn? Come on over here." Pulled from their trance, they take the few steps to the center of the stage and shake hands with Mike before he speaks again "Do you guys both know this song?" They both nod. "Great! Finn meet Rachel, Rachel meet Finn." Finn holds out a hand for Rachel, she takes it , trying to ignore the seemingly endless electricity that flows from his calloused and gentle hand. He can't believe how soft her hands are as she shakes it, he wonders if she feels the electricity too. "Whenever you two are ready." Mike says, snapping them back to reality as he exits the stage. They, reluctantly, let go and turn towards the audience.
Rachel takes a sideways glance up at Finn (he is so tall!) with questioning eyes. He nods at her. She lifts the microphone and looks over at Artie. "I guess we are ready." Artie looks at them and begins the music. She gestures to Finn to go first. He does.
Just a small town girl
Living in a lonely world
She took the midnight train going anywhere
Rachel stood by while Finn began the song. WOAH! Good looking and talented. In her shock she almost forgot her cue.
Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train going anywhere
Finn looked at her with his mouth slightly open. Heaven, that's where he was. That voice was incredible. He began to sing again.
A singer in a smoky room
Rachel sings the next line.
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
They both turn to face each other and sing together.
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on
Rachel truly believes she is in heaven, briefly wondering if she's imaging their chemistry. When the song finishes they are breathless facing each other and only a few inches apart.
The crowd begins to applaud as Mike jumps back on stage. "WOW! Let's hear it for these two! That was amazing." He puts his hands on their shoulders and they both look at him with a blank look. They both look out into the crowd and smile. They walk off stage and hand their microphones to Artie as Mike announces the next performer.
At the side of the stage they both stop and Rachel looking up at him with a smile. "Wow that was incredible Finn. You are very talented."
Returning her smile he begins to speak. "Rachel. WOW. You are like the best singer I've ever heard. That was… that was… WOW…" He looks like he wants to
say more but instead pulls a small black box out of his pocket and looks at it with a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry Rachel, I have to go." He turns and quickly goes to his table.
Rachel watches his retreat in confusion as he stops at his table and says something to a well-dressed guy sitting with his hands clasped together, seemingly in joy, and leaves the bar. She makes her way to her own table where her friends are looking at her with mixed looks of awe and sympathy.
"Well I'd say that went well. Where did he run off to?" Blaine scooted out Rachel's chair and gestured for her to sit down.
"I'm not sure Blaine, he said he was sorry and he had to go, that's it. What was that?" She looked between her friends expectantly.
Santana put her hand on Rachel's shoulder and opened her mouth to speak when a new unfamiliar voice joined their conversation. "He had to go on a call, he's a firefighter. I'm his brother, Kurt Hummel. What you two just did up there was fantastic." He gushed.
The three friends looked at each other with realization and they all let out a collective "oh".
Rachel looked up at Kurt, sensing an opportunity to learn more about Finn. "It's nice to meet you Kurt. I'm Rachel Berry, and these are my friends Santana Lopez and Blaine Anderson." She gestured to each friend as she said their names. "Would you like to join us?"
Kurt seemingly ignored Santana and held his hand out to Blaine with a flirty smile and a wink. "Nice to meet you." He then sat down at the table.
Santana cleared her throat to gain Kurt's attention. "Tell us about your brother. He and my girl Rachel here clearly shared something up there."
Rachel gasped "SANTANA!"
"What?! We all saw it. Right guys?" Santana look at the two guys who were nodding. "See?" she looked over at Kurt again "Now spill!"
Kurt began, crossing his legs and swinging one back and forth as he spoke. "Well he's training to be a firefighter with the FDNY, and right now that includes being paged away for drills- they want to make it as real as possible. We are from Ohio; Finns mom married my dad when we were 16. We are all pretty close now. I moved here to start an internship with Vogue magazine, and Finn joined me here in NYC a few months ago to begin his training. He's single. Your turn Miss Berry." Kurt gave an inquisitive look to Rachel.
"Well, I'm just starting my senior year at NYADA, I'm going to be on Broadway. I've lived in NYC my whole life. I have two great dads that live on the upper west side. Also single." Rachel finished.
"Let's see if we can get you two together again, shall we?" Kurt smiled at Rachel.
They spent the next hour or so chatting and getting to know each other a little. They made plans to all meet for coffee the next week. Rachel would bring her friends and Kurt would bring Finn.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.
Work, school, auditions, training, and life in general. That's why it had been almost 2 months since the night Finn and Rachel met at Duets. Since then, Kurt and Rachel became fast friends. Kurt is sure Finn and Rachel are going to be great together, if only they could be in the same room again. He wants everybody to be as happy as he is, especially now that he and Blaine have started seeing each other.
One a rare morning off, Kurt and Rachel were able to meet for coffee. "Rachel, it is family AND friends day. The academy does them for every class. I'm sure there will be no issue with you going."
Rachel hesitated. "I'm not family, Kurt. Hell, we have only met once. What if he doesn't want to see me again?"
"Rachel, he does. Trust me. If it makes you feel better, you can be my guest and we can leave if it gets awkward. I don't want to go alone anyway."
"Fine. I will go, but I'm leaving if it gets too weird and I'm blaming you if this blows up."She warns with a shake of her head as she folds her arms at her chest.
"Deal. I just can't believe we haven't been able to make this happen sooner. It has been crazy. Now, tell me about your latest audition." Kurt clapped his hands together in excitement.
While Rachel was telling Kurt all about her latest round of Broadway auditions, her mind was wandering to the planned meeting for thatSaturday. She was both excited and fearful. What if he didn't want to see her again? What if he didn't feel the connection like she did?
Friday night brought Rachel back to Duets. She knew that Finn was at another training, but that didn't mean he wouldn't show up after, right? She watched as a parade of lackluster performers took the stage one after the other, soon enough Mike was back on the stage announcing that it was time for the hourly duet. She listened as the names were called. Sighing as a couple stood and began to butcher I've Got You Babe she frowned into her strawberry daiquiri, taking a drink before setting it back down on the table. What was she doing, she was Rachel Barbra Berry. She doesn't sit by and let life happen around her, she goes after it! With a new and sudden sense of determination she heads out of the restaurant and gets in a taxi. "FDNY training facility, please." After a few minutes the cab is parked outside the building, she pays the driver and exits the vehicle. Commence freak out. What was she thinking? Just as she is about to make a retreat, she sees a familiar tall figure leaving the building. Before she realizes that she is staring, he has closed the distance between them.
She bites her lip slightly embarrassed. "Ummm, hi Finn."
"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Finn asked with a surprised tone.
"Well Finn, I was tired of waiting for our paths to cross again, and I've been talking to Kurt. He said you would be here, so I took a chance. I can go..." It seemed to all come out in one breath, what was she doing?
"NO!" Finn said, a little louder than he meant to. "I mean, no. Its ok, I'm just surprised to see you here that's all. I'm glad you did." He replied; rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"Oh, ok. What do you have to do now?" She looks up at him through her lashes.
"Well I could use some food, I'm pretty hungry, you want to join me?" He asks hesitantly.
"That would be great Finn, thank you." He motioned for her to follow him to his truck and they walked through the parking lot.
Two years later Finn, Rachel, Santana, Brittany (Santana's girlfriend), Kurt, Blaine and Tina are all sitting back at Duets listening to some girl named Sugar butcher the latest Katy Perry song. When she finishes the crowd gives courtesy applause, probably because they are just glad she is finished. It must be that time again because Mike is back on the stage. "Good evening again friends! Its time, once again to bring up two of our guests for a duet! Let's see who we have here…" He reaches for the paper Artie hands him and looks at it. "Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson! A couple of our regulars! Come on up guys."
Rachel and Finn share a look and make their way to the stage hand in hand. Once at the stage they grab the microphones Artie is offering to them and continue to center stage. Mike looks at Rachel and sends a discrete wink at Finn before he continues. "You guys know the drill. Your song today is… Faithfully, by Journey. Excellent song. Ready?"
Finn and Rachel nod at Mike as he exits the stage. The music begins and they sing together. As the song come to a close, they share a tender kiss. Rachel turns to the crowd for the obligatory smile and curtsey then turns back to see Finn on one knee. Her face lights up at the realization of what he's about to do. Her right hand gently covers her open mouth as Finn takes her left in both of his. "Rachel, a couple years ago we were thrown together on this stage to sing together as strangers, I knew then that we shared something special. And I would want nothing more for you to be my duet partner for the rest of my life, Will you marry me?"
Tears welling in her eyes and a smile on her face she starts with a slight nod, then shouts "YES!" as she jumps into his arms almost knocking them both on the floor.
A/N There you go! Thanks for reading! What did you think? Feel free to review.