AN: This is a finchel fanfic I wrote for the upcoming holidays. If you are reading my other current finchel fanfic, Dart Through the Heart, do not threat. I am hard at work with that story, but I just felt like taking a short break from that to write this. It's going to be about six chapters long, so enjoy!
A phone rang from another cubicle as Rachel pounded on the keyboard of her laptop, her mind racing. She had only the rest of the day to finish writing this article, and there was no way she was stopping now. Even the loud chattering of her coworkers and the smell of hot coffee with chocolate syrup wouldn't distract her from getting this done. Only one more paragraph to write, Rachel thought to herself, and then I could hand it in and call it a day. And then when she did hand it in, she could move on to her next torture chamber; something much more scary then getting an article done by its deadline.
"Are you almost done there?" Someone asked from next to Rachel, and Rachel spared a glance in Quinn's direction, hardly hearing the words she was saying. Yes, she was almost done, but talking to Quinn wasn't going to make her type faster.
"Just about, now all I have to do is e-mail it to Will, and I can leave this place for Christmas break." Rachel said, smiling to herself as she went on her e-mail and attached her article, sending it to her boss, Will Schuester. Quinn smiled too as she leaned over to see Rachel sending the article away. She held out a mug of coffee to Rachel, who took it gratefully from her.
"So what are you doing for Christmas? Are we going to have our yearly last minute Christmas shopping tradition? Beth has been talking for months that she wants this new Barbie doll, and I've looked everywhere for it. The only place that still has it is this really small shop in downtown New York, and I need you to come with me." Quinn said, and Rachel sighed loudly as she thought about what her Christmas break contained.
"Sorry Quinn, you're going to have to do it without me. I'm meeting the family in their cottage in Canada." Rachel explained, and Quinn raised an eyebrow at her, not knowing if she should be shocked that Rachel's actually meeting the family or that the family has a cottage in Canada.
"Wow Rachel; meeting the family, that's a big step in a relationship. That's how you know it's serious between you two." Quinn said, and Rachel couldn't help but snort. Yeah, she hoped that meant it was serious between the two of them; they had been dating for a year and a half now, and Rachel was in love with him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, she was absolutely sure of it, but that didn't mean Rachel was excited to meet his family. Just thinking about it made Rachel feel the need to throw up.
"I remember when I first met Puck's family; the minute I showed up in his house for Thanksgiving, his mother whipped out a wedding planner. She was so excited that she was actually meeting one of Puck's girlfriends for once, that she just knew that I was the one. We picked out my wedding dress that day." Quinn said with a giggle from the memory, and Rachel couldn't bear to give her more than a smile. Maybe it had been easy for Quinn, but that was because Puck's mother had been so easy to please and the only other person in the family had been Puck's little sister, but her situation was different. There was a stepdad and a stepbrother and a boyfriend to impress; they all had to like her to welcome her into the family with opened arms.
"They're going to hate me. I can just tell." Rachel said quietly, and Quinn rolled her eyes at her. No one ever actually hated Rachel; it was impossible to do so. Rachel was outgoing, talented, smart, pretty, and nice; any mother would be lucky to call her a daughter-in-law, but of course, Rachel couldn't see that.
"They are not going to hate you; stop worrying about it." Quinn tried to assure her, but Rachel didn't look much assured, "Do you want to go out for an early dinner or something? I'm starving."
"I can't; Finn and I are meeting up for Christmas shopping." Rachel said, and Quinn sighed, not really in the mood to actually go home and cook dinner for her husband and her child. Rachel gave her a sympathetic look as she stood up and put her winter coat on that was hanging on her chair. "Sorry Quinn, but I'll see you next week okay?"
"Okay, call me while you're in Canada and tell me how it's going." Quinn said, and Rachel nodded to show that she understood. She gave Quinn a tight hug, before pulling away, and Quinn wished her good luck. Yeah, Rachel would need it.
"Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat. Please put a penny in the old man's hat."
She riffled through the racks of long sleeve shirts, biting her lower lip in concentration. Everywhere around her, people were checking things off their lists and talking loudly with whomever they were with, their purchase in their hands. Rachel didn't even notice a tall man sneaking up behind her until her wrapped her in his arms, gently kissing her neck. Rachel giggled as she pulled away.
"Finn, stop it, you can't do that in public." Rachel said, but she smiled anyway as she pushed Finn away from her body, and turned to look at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, stretching a little in the process. Finn grinned at her as he bent down a little to kiss her on the lips. After a moment and before she could deepen the kiss, Finn pulled away.
"I got to go get you your gift." He said, and Rachel scoffed at him as Finn ran away from her towards the jewelry section of the mall. Not able to help her curiosity getting the better of her, Rachel quietly followed Finn after a moment of contemplating the idea, leaving that pink sweater she was holding at the rack. Making sure that Finn didn't catch her, Rachel followed him a few feet behind, hoping no one would notice her following someone; even if that someone was her boyfriend. She watched as he stopped in front of a glass counter full of jewelry with an old man and woman standing behind it.
Finn said a couple of words to the man, leaning in a little to put his elbows on the counter, and the man gave him a knowing smile, and then led Finn to another glass counter. Rachel watched closely from where she stood as Finn looked into the counter, his eyes scanning the jewelry. He pointed at something in the counter, a smile now on his face, and the man and woman peered down at what he was pointing at, matching smiles appearing on their face. They exchanged a few words, and it seemed to Rachel that they were making some sort deal. She moved in a little closer to get a better look, but then the woman got in her way, blocking whatever Finn and the man were doing. It was another few minutes before Finn moved away from the counter and the couple, waving to them and patting his coat pocket.
Yes! Yes! YES!
Rachel was pretty sure she knew what Finn had just bought her, but she needed to make sure of it before she got too excited. Moving probably faster than she should, Rachel ran towards the old man and woman, reaching the jewelry counter. The couple looked at her curiously as Rachel looked down at the counter where Finn had bought something for her, and her jaw dropped in shock. Next to the key chains were the rings, which Finn must have clearly been looking at. Yes, she figured this was what he was buying but it still surprised her greatly, and Rachel found that she couldn't talk.
"Excuse me ma'am, is there something I can help you with?" Asked the man, and Rachel looked up at him, suddenly remembering that she was not alone. She looked up at the man and woman who were smiling at her kindly, almost like they knew what she was thinking.
"Err, yes. The man who was just here, he's a friend of mine, and I, uh, need to buy him a gift. Can you maybe tell me what he was looking at?" Rachel asked, hoping that she had lied well. But the man and woman only smiled at her as if to say "we know you're only playing us", as if they knew the truth as to why she wanted to know what Finn had just bought.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, but we're not allowed to give out private information like that." Said the woman, and Rachel forced herself to give the woman another smile. Yes, but Rachel wasn't just some random stranger; she was Finn's girlfriend, if it was anyone's business as to what kind of jewelry Finn was buying, it was hers.
"I understand that, but that man, Finn Hudson, he's a very good friend, and I just simply must know what he bought. Can you at least tell me what kind of jewelry he bought? Was it over here, with the rings?" She asked, needing to have some sort of idea of what Finn exactly had in mind when he bought her the jewelry; the jewelry that she dearly hoped was an engagement ring. But the old couple still looked at her with that annoying knowing look, smiling dearly at her.
"You'll find out soon enough honey." Said the woman, and the man's smile grew even wider. Sighing loudly, Rachel gave up on getting the answer out of them, deciding that her hunches were usually right anyway and it probably was an engagement that Finn had bought her. She had a feeling he was going to do that for a while now.
"Thank you for your time anyway." Rachel sighed, and the couple smiled and waved at her as she walked away. Rachel only walked a couple of feet, deep in thought as she wondered when exactly Finn would pop the question, before she bumped right into Finn.
"What are you doing Rachel? I thought you were looking at the sweaters over there." Finn asked as he caught her in his arms, glancing at the jewelry counter and then at the area with the sweaters where he had left Rachel. Rachel opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out, so she only smiled at him, thinking about the ring that was now inside his pocket.
"I was, but I wanted to see what kind of jewelry they had. I really want some for Christmas; what did you get me Finn?" Rachel asked innocently, trying to get a peek into the shopping bag he was holding even though Rachel knew that the ring wouldn't be in there. Finn held the bag away from her, giving her a smirk.
"No, no, no. You don't get to see until Christmas morning." He told her, and Rachel shot him her puppy dog eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in close. Finn only stared down at her, still smiling that silly grin.
"Please Finny. Please, you can give it to me right here if you want." She begged, and then ever so lightly touched his lips with hers, kissing Finn gently. Finn kissed her back, but only for a moment before lightly pushing her away.
"No Rachel, you won't persuade me with kisses and that smoldering look. Not until Christmas morning." Finn told her sternly, and Rachel sighed loudly, brushing her brown bangs away from her face. Why did she have to wait an entire week until getting the ring, couldn't Finn just give it to her now so she could rejoice and they could make sweet, passionate love?
"Oh come on, give me a clue at least. Is it something I can wear?" Rachel asked, taking Finn's hand and playfully swinging it back and forth. Finn grinned at her, pulling her away from the jewelry and into a clothing store.
"Maybe, maybe not; I guess you're just going to have to wait and see." Finn said, and seeing that there was no use in trying to get it out of Finn now, she followed Finn towards a rack of clothes, frowning. When he wanted to be, Finn could be stubborn, and now was not a time to be stubborn. They were talking about marriage and engagement here!
"Why do I even love you?" Rachel sighed as she followed Finn, and Finn turned to her, smiling. He touched her cheek lightly, and then gently moved it to run his fingers through her hair, his face so close to hers. She could feel his breathe against her skin, and couldn't help but fall even more in love with him. She might not really understand why she loved Finn so much, but she did. Rachel knew that much.
"You love me because for some insane reason you found something in me worth loving. And I will be forever thankful for that." Finn whispered, and Rachel leaned up to kiss him, something coming over her. After a long moment of slow kissing, Finn's hand on her hip, she opened her mouth, letting Finn's tongue slip in. The kiss grew deeper before Finn and Rachel pulled away for air.
"I love you." Rachel whispered, cupping Finn's face and holding him close. He wrapped his arms around her body, pulling Rachel closer so their bodies were pressed up against each other's.
"I love you too." He said, and Rachel smiled as they kissed again.
One Year and a Half Ago
The taxi driver whistled an annoying tune as Rachel tapped her fingers on her leg, impatiently waiting for the taxi to start moving. Cars honked all around her as the driver smiled at her through the rear view window, and Rachel only frowned back at him. She was late for work as it was, and she had an early meeting which she was missing right now. Will was going to kill her and probably take her off the big magazine Broadway project of the year (a project she had been dyeing to be a part of since she first started working for the magazine).
"Is there any way we could get pass this traffic? I'm late for work and I have a meeting." Rachel asked the driver, and he only glanced at her.
"Sorry but no; we're stuck behind this guy and he won't move for some reason." He said, and Rachel huffed loudly, as she moved her head to see the car that wasn't moving in front of them. She only got a glimpse of the car and could see a man sitting in the driver's seat, leaning over to look at something in the passenger's seat. Rachel gaped at him; he was literally just sitting there, a worried look on his face, but nonetheless, just sitting there. What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he driving? Didn't he know that unlike him, people had lives and jobs to get to?
"I can't believe this." Rachel grumbled, as she opened her door, the driver watching her go. Rachel stomped over to the car where the man sat, ignoring the honking cars. Bending down to be eye level with the passenger's window, she knocked on it loudly, frowning. The man, hearing the sound of the knocking, looked up at her, and that's when Rachel noticed the Dalmatian laying on the passenger's seat, his eyes closed. The man lowered the window to talk to Rachel, his eyes going from the dog to Rachel with a worried expression on his face.
"Do you mind if you keep driving? I'm late for an important meeting!" Rachel said harshly, her focus back on the man. Now that she got a closer look at him, Rachel realized that this guy was actually kind of good looking; he had brown hair and amber eyes that she found herself easily getting lost in. But now was not a time to start falling for a man; she didn't have time for that.
"If you haven't realized Miss, my dog is having a heart attack or something. I think that's a bit more important than your stupid meeting. I don't know what's wrong with him!" Said the man, the first two sentences coming out in a rude tone, and the last one sounding more like panic. Hearing what he had just said, Rachel looked down at the poor dog, forgetting about her meeting completely. She was a sucker for animals; not one creature would be hurt if she was there to stop it.
"Oh, poor thing, I hope he's alright. Don't you think we should take him to veterinarian? Do you want me to go with you? It's no problem." She asked urgently, opening the door and bending low to look more closely at the dog. Rachel gently put her hand on the dog's fur, petting him lightly as she looked up at the man, sincerity on her face.
"Oh, err, sure. I had just called the vet now to say that I was coming and that it was an emergency." The man said, taken back by Rachel's quick change in personality, and Rachel went back to her taxi, paying the driver and jumping into the back of man's car, urgently telling him to get a step on it.
As soon as they had arrived at the veterinarian's, they had taken the man's dog in, which Rachel learned had oddly been named Pillar. They sat in some of the chairs of the front hall which were accompanied by only a few other people, the unknown man drumming his fingers on the armchair.
"I'm sorry, I still don't know what you're name is. I'm Rachel, Rachel Berry." Rachel said, putting out her hand for him to shake, as to distract him from whatever was happening to Pillar in the other room. He looked at her, having blocked her out for a moment before taking her hand, shaking it for a second before taking it away.
"I'm Finn Hudson. Thanks for helping me; I was really panicking back there. It was like, I was just driving with Pillar relaxing, and then he seemed to be spazzing out and suddenly was just lying there, his eyes closed. I guess I just freaked out; I didn't even think to pull over. I called the vet, and I then I just froze in panic. I mean, what am I without Pillar? I've had him for so long I don't know what I would do if something had happened to him." Finn said, his hands gripping his hair, and Rachel greatly felt the need to put her arm around him and comfort him, but didn't deem it appropriate.
"I'm sorry Finn, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Mr. Woo even said when he took him in that he didn't think it was that bad. Pillar will be fine in no time." Rachel tried to assure Finn, patting his shoulder affectionately. Finn looked from his lap to Rachel's face, giving her a smile. That was when Rachel realized how attractive Finn actually was, more so than he seemed to be in the car; when she had first seen him, she was too busy being pissed at him to notice it, and after that she was too worried about Pillar to even get a good look at Finn's face, but now his looks had her full attention. And boy did she like those looks.
"I hope so. Ever since my mom remarried, he's been my dog and my best friend. It's like what they say, you know, a dog is a man's best friend? It's true; especially if you're a single guy living in New York alone and playing your drums with your band all the time. He's my best bud; I would be lost without him." Finn told her honestly, not knowing why he was trusting Rachel with all these private thoughts, but they felt right to tell her anyway; almost like he was meant to tell her these things, but that just sounded crazy.
"That's amazing Finn. I can see how much you care about Pillar, and I know I just met him, but I know I care about him too." Rachel said, and Finn smiled again, about to open his mouth and say something, perhaps to do a little innocent flirting, but then the doors that Pillar had been taken into swung open and out came Mr. Woo.
"Finn, everything is fine. You can calm down." Said Mr. Woo instantly, seeing Finn and Rachel siting there. Finn stood up quickly, taking giant steps towards Mr. Woo, Rachel following closely behind. Finn and Rachel let out a simultaneous sigh of relief as Mr. Woo talked.
"What had happened? Is Pillar okay to take home?" Finn asked, and Mr. Woo gave the two of them a soft smile before answering.
"Pillar is a very old dog; you've had him since he was puppy when you were 16, correct? Pillar's simply getting old; he had a short heart attack, but fortunately you were able to get him here quick enough to save him. He should be fine for the time being. I think he just needs to relax more and rest. He's much more tired than he used to be, and I think you need to remind yourself of that Finn." Mr. Woo told them, and Finn smiled a little, glad to know that Pillar was alright. He knew his little guy was getting older, but it didn't mean Finn liked to think about it very often.
"Thank you so much. Really; thank you." Finn sighed out, and Rachel let out a short laugh in relief as Mr. Woo went back to through the doors to check on Pillar. With only a moment of silence where the pair let relief wash over them, Finn turned to Rachel, sighing loudly.
"I think that because you kind of helped save my dog's life, I owe you dinner." Finn said, rather impressed with how smooth it had come out. Rachel only smiled at him, bravely taking Finn's hand.
"That would be lovely."
