Disclaimer - "Glee" is the property of the RIB triumverate and FOX Television. This is all for fun and we receive no profit other than the immense joy of sharing our work. Dedicated to Cory Monteith (1982 - 2013) - may he rest in peace.
"So, go get one."
Like an annoying insect that wouldn't leave him alone, the four words Marley uttered in Mr. Schue's office flitted through his mind. It was on continual play, an unrelenting ten letter sentence that plagued every minute since he'd walked out of McKinley's doors.
Go get one.
Pushing his thought aside, Finn grunted as he settled the tire into place on the wheel's bolts. Stepping back, he wiped his forehead with his arm, leaving a trail of grease and dirt. Working at the garage always made Finn sweat, and it wasn't helping that Burt had turned on the heat to counter Lima's winter temperatures. In the summer the doors could be opened to let the air flow through, but in winter you had to keep it all shut if you wanted even semi-comfortable working conditions. The fact he was almost always too warm indoors didn't help matters.
Go get one.
He shook his head. Marley was a sweet kid with a great voice, but surprisingly naïve in her suggestion. She'd blurted it out in a way that made it sound like a college degree was as easily attainable as Sour Patch Kids from 7-11. Finn knew, however, it just wasn't that easy. First, the school had to accept you from hundreds of applicants - most of whom he was sure had better grades or qualifications. Secondly was the question of financing. Sure, he worked some long hours at Burt's shop and tucked most of his money away in the bank, but school was tens of thousands of dollars; neither his bank account nor his credit card could cover such an expense. His mom and Burt were doing as much as possible to help Kurt with NYADA, so there was no chance he'd ask them for help. Besides, he'd gotten the impression last year they both felt his future was best served in the shop. After all, he was Assistant Manager now, running the shop when Burt was away at Congress.
No, Marley's suggestion was well-intentioned but uninformed, and as far as he was concerned, her faith in him and his abilities misplaced. It was obvious at Sectionals he wasn't cut out for the teaching part of show choir, and more obvious that Mr. Schuester no longer wanted him anywhere near New Directions. Sure, he'd screwed up by kissing Emma, but it was meant more to comfort her than out of any desire for romance. Either way, however, the damage was done. He'd lost two good friends and his volunteer position as coach of New Directions.
With McKinley High now closed to him, it seemed the tire shop really was his future.
Well, it could be worse. At least he liked fixing cars.
Go get one.
"You gonna stare at that tire all day?"
Startled, Finn awoke from his thoughts and snapped his head to see Burt at the hoist next to him. He was looking up under the car and replacing the oil plug on an old Mustang. Finn guessed the make as somewhere in the 1980s, when the Mustang looked like your average sports car instead of the powerful, slick vehicles they'd been remodelled into today. "Sorry?"
Burt chuckled. "Well, you've had the nuts in your hand for a couple minutes now, but all you've done is stare at where they need to go. Just wondering if you're going to finish what you started or leave it for someone else."
Finn's eyes narrowed for a moment, trying to make sense of what his step-father had said. Looking down to his hand, he suddenly realized what Burt was talking about. He pushed aside thoughts of McKinley and began to affix the nuts to the bolts in front of him. "Sorry. Lost in thought."
Burt nodded as he continued with his own repairs. "Penny for them?"
After twisting the nuts tight with a pneumatic wrench, Finn dropped his tool on the side table and shrugged. "Don't really wanna talk about it."
The older man chuckled as he activated the hoist to lower the vehicle he was servicing. "Fine, don't talk. I already know what you're thinking 'bout anyway."
"Uh, no, I really wasn't thinking about Rachel," Finn grumbled quietly, rolling the side table over to the next tire that needed changing.
"Didn't say you were," Burt insisted, holding his hands up defensively. He opened the door to the Mustang and reached inside to pull the lever release for the hood. Once done, he closed the door and moved to the car's front. "But don't act like you haven't been moping around here the last few days. And what you are thinking 'bout is McKinley and how Mr. Schue kicked you to the curb." Burt gave him a pointed look. "Can't say I blame him for that. Men usually take exception to their friends kissing their fiancé."
Finn loosened the nuts on the next tire, unable to hold back a smirk. "You do know I kissed your fiancé every day you were engaged, right?"
Burt rolled his eyes while propping up the hood, even though he had a small smile on his face. "Point is, you can't undo what's happened and you've already apologized. Not your fault Will won't hear it, and for that, I do blame him. There's nothing left for you at McKinley, Finn. Move on."
"I have," Finn said, pulling the old tire off of the car and exchanging it for a new one. "Tires still need fixing, oil still needs changing and you can't be here all the time 'cause of Congress, so yeah, here I am. Gotta make sure you have something to come back to if you're voted out next election, don't I?"
"Well, yeah, the shop's important - won't say it isn't." Burt pulled over one of the pumps to begin filling up the Mustang's engine with clean oil. "But you know, I noticed you're not entirely satisfied with this place. Not like last year, at least."
Finn froze for a moment, wondering what he'd done to tip Burt off about his change in outlook. He showed up for his shifts on time, hadn't been snarky or short with any of the customers, had completed all his repairs on schedule, and maintained the inventory as required. In fact, he'd even reorganized the stock room to be more efficient, clearing out all parts that had sat on the shelves for three or more years. Nothing should have left any doubt about his dedication to the store, and he was starting to panic about whether he was falling short of expectations. "It's...honest, Burt, working here is great. You pay me well for my services and-"
"I'm not saying you're ungrateful Finn. Quite the opposite." He pushed the pump into the oil tank and turned it on before turning to face Finn. "But let's be honest - this isn't what you see yourself doing for the rest of your life."
"I'd never abandon you, Burt," Finn assured him before screwing on the first couple of nuts for the new tire. "I know you might not believe that, given my track record, but I wouldn't. The shop needs me."
"It does," Burt agreed, checking the oil pump briefly before looking up to him again. "Not sure you need the shop, though. I think you've got your sights set on something else."
"I'm fine here. Happy here," he replied, forcing a smile while tightening the rest of the nuts. "There's real work to do here; honest work."
"Anyone with enough training can fix a car, Finn." Burt nodded at seeing the oil levels even out and removed the pump, securing the cap on the engine. "See, during Grease, and at Sectionals, I saw how you inspired those kids. I heard how you brought them together after you lost, even when there was nothing left to stay for. And I saw how those same kids treated you at Mr. Schue's wedding. Tell ya, it takes a special kind of talent to earn the respect of a group of teenagers like that."
Finn shrugged. "It's not like they had a choice. Mr. Schue left me in charge."
"Don't sell yourself short," Burt persisted. "Elementary school kids respect almost all adults naturally, and junior high kids aren't experienced enough to take teachers to task. High school kids, though? They're the jaded ones who don't automatically respond to authority. Most think teachers are all old, stupid and have no idea what the hell they're doing at the front of the class. But, now and then, there's one or two teachers that still manages to reach them, still inspires them to be better, still cares about them reaching their dreams. Teens can tell when a teacher is being genuine instead of just feeding them bullshit, as I'm sure you know." Burt looked at him pointedly for a second time. "It'd be a terrible talent to waste, Finn, 'cause trust me, cars don't give a rat's ass 'bout any of that."
Finn took a deep breath and placed the pneumatic drill down on the side table. He bit his cheek as Burt's comments rolled through his mind. Without question, Burt already knew what Finn was thinking and feeling. Exhaling slowly, Finn crossed his arms and faced his step father. "It's not that easy though. I mean, I need to get a teaching degree first, and I don't wanna waste my time teaching something I hate or don't know, like how Mr. Schue got stuck teaching Spanish. I mean, my favourite subject was lunch," he added, looking dejectedly at the scuffed concrete floor. "Can't really teach that."
"And you've got nothing else to offer?" Burt asked, closing the hood of the Mustang before walking around to the driver's side and climbing behind the wheel. "You love glee and love music; you've already got experience with that. You're also a damn good athlete, no matter what OSU says. You can definitely teach these hopeless kids a thing or two about throwing a football and sinking a three-pointer. And if all else fails, there's always the obvious."
Finn's eyebrows dipped in the middle and he leaned against the nearby support column. "The obvious?"
Burt started the engine of the Mustang. It roared to life, and for added emphasis, he stepped on the gas to rev the engine further. The noise of its increasing revolutions echoed throughout the garage before he let it settle back down to running normally. Once satisfied, Burt pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the vehicle. "Last I heard, lots of schools have auto shop. I mean, someone's gotta show the kids how to use a wrench, right? Otherwise, who the hell would I hire to replace you?"
With a quick flick of his wrist, Finn watched Burt fling the keys across the space between them. Finn caught them with practiced ease, snatching them out of the air instinctively. He looked down to see them in his hand, the car key reflecting light from one of the nearby lamps. Finn glanced over to Burt. "You want me to do something with these?"
"Wouldn't hurt to take it for a brief test drive. Couple miles oughtta do it – maybe to Lima U and back, or something."
"I didn't think I was allowed to do test drives. Insurance issues, right?"
Burt shrugged and adjusted his ball-cap. "Time to change things up, don't you think? Of course, it's your decision whether you want to or not." His step-father smiled and walked back towards his office, speaking as he did so. "Don't take too long deciding though. Time waits for no man."
Finn stared after his step-father as Burt disappeared into the manager's office. He noticed for the first time that the air seemed to shift, no longer threatening to suffocate him, as though the venting systems were reprogrammed work differently than before. Pocketing the keys, Finn moved on to the next tire that needed replacement. With a few whirls of the drill the nuts were removed and, after a quick jerk of his arms, the old tire also came free. He reached over to retrieve the new one, but hesitated.
His eyes drifted back to the newly repaired Mustang.
He'd never driven a Mustang before.
Fuck it, he thought. Time to try something new.
Pulling the keys out of his pocket, he walked over to give it the test drive Burt had suggested.
A/N - Hello all. Welcome to The Brass Ring, a new collaborative story brought to you by myself and my esteemed colleague / great Skype buddy and soon-to-be-new-mom igotoextremes. The purpose of this story is simple - as best as we can write it, this is an A/U of Glee's S5 (and maybe a bit beyond) about what would happen if Finn had not been killed. In the wake of the tragic real-life events influencing this season, we're grateful that fanfic affords us the opportunity to continue our favourite character's story. This is how the two of us, together, imagined S5 would have originally proceeded.
With respect to timing, this story starts off around "Feud" (4X16) to address some missing scenes relating to Finn's S4 SL, and moves along through what we had hoped to see for our beloved male lead during S5. With any luck we'll portray a fulfilling vision of what might have been for all the characters involved. Some of the story for the NY crew might be different than what's on the show, but hopefully you, as the audience, won't be offended by that. This is, after all, fanfiction and subject simply to our imagination's "what if?".
Also, may I say it's been a pleasure brainstorming with my partner, Ja9, and I've really enjoyed the process of bouncing ideas (and scenes) back and forth. Hopefully her kid will sleep lots once born and let her focus a bit on writing, but we'll play it by ear - being a dad I know full well infants don't take their parents' schedule into consideration. Thanks for stepping into this project with me, Ja9!
Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged! :)