This story is set in AU; that stands for alternative universe. However, only certain elements of the story are set differently. The following takes place between Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry, sometime within a five year span of high school graduation.
Chapter One
"Cancer? So…won't you like, lose your hair?"
"Yes, Finn. If I go through with the treatments."
"But I love your hair…" He leaned forward and gently ran his finger under a curl. It was so light and bouncy, and always impeccably clean. It was one of the thousands of things he loved about her. She gently pushed his hand away. "I know, Finn. But that's not important right now," she reminded him. He nodded, rather solemnly.
She'd just gotten back from the doctor. She hadn't been feeling…well, herself lately. She was having inexplicable pains. It was a shame she had to find out about those pains on her anniversary night. She couldn't even enjoy the sweet gestures he'd done for her. Instead, she'd curled up into a ball. The pain was immense. He was terrified to touch her.
"Maybe they misdiagnosed you," he offered.
"They ran five tests. I think they would have some degree of certainty…" She trailed off. How would she tell her co-workers? Her understudies? She had trained months for her part. Now she risked losing it over something that was out of her control. "This wasn't my fault, was it? I-I didn't hurt you, did I?" He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. It was typical of him to internalize the guilt. She turned around, her hands gently cupping his face. She pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead. "None of this is your fault," she said quietly. It nearly broke her heart. "Please don't blame yourself." She stood for a few moments, just like that. As hard as it would be for her, it would probably be equally hard for him. That nearly killed her.
Hesitantly, he took her hand and brushed the pad of his thumb inside of her palm. He knew that always calmed her down. "I love you," he reminded her. He didn't to remind her. He enjoyed doing it, though. It made her smile. "I love you, too," she said, kissing his forehead again.
Suddenly, the thought of children crossed his mind. He wasn't sure why. It seemed like peculiar timing. "So, will our kids have it, too?" He looked at her curiously. "Finn…" she said immediately. Children weren't anywhere in her future. Even the thought of conception hurt. She wasn't sure how the actual process would have worked. "Finn, sweetie. I don't…" She paused. He was looking at her. It was the look he got when he didn't understand something, or when he was trying to understand something. "I don't think we can have kids." She sat on his lap, resting her head on him. She was exhausted already. "Right now," she added, strictly for comfort. She couldn't simply leave him with the idea that it would never happen.
A deep frown tugged at his lips. "No kids?" He looked at her incredulously. They talked about it tons before. He wanted a little boy, whose name was Thor. (The name, of course, was still under heavy debate.) She wanted a little girl. She didn't know the name yet. She looked back at him. "Please don't give me that look," she asked. Her face had a pout. It wasn't the playful one she usually had. It was a more serious one now. "We can talk about it later," he said. He knew that it would be much later.
She really wasn't feeling well. She wasn't sure whether it was just nerves, or part of the diagnosis. "Can you go make some tea?" she nearly whispered. He gently laid her down, resting her head on a pillow. He wasn't entirely sure how to make tea; he had watched her a thousand times before. The tea-making part wasn't the thing that captivated him, though. He was always too focused on her. Now, he was almost cursing himself for it. So, he took a guess. He let the tea bags dangle in the pot of water, heating it up. It seemed to work.
"No sugar," she said. He sighed and stayed in the kitchen. This was going to be a long night.