A/N: Thank you all for the sweet reviews! This chapter is some more fluff, but the storyline will pick up eventually! I need to establish a good foundation for Finchel first. I'm busy with school, so I will probably be updating once a week (hopefully!).

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters.

They don't end up going out the next night.

When he asks her out, she is so elated that she completely forgets about anything that doesn't have to do with him. Including the fact that she has clincals in the labor and delivery ward of the hospital the whole next day, as well as endless paperwork to fill out.

Finn Hudson. His name makes her just want to melt. She mentally kicks herself for sounding like a pathetic schoolgirl, but he's just perfect. And the quarterback. She's not the biggest sports fan, but she's seen football games. I mean she goes to Ohio State and football's a pretty big deal here.

She's always thought he was cute, but never would she have ever imagined he would be interested in her. He's the big man on campus, and she's an average nursing , here she is a few weeks after a chance run-in with him preparing for their first date.

Looking down at her watch, she curses in her head. It's already 5:00 and she told Finn to pick her up around 7:00. The problem is that her patient, who she has formed a close bond with throughout the course of the day, has gone into labor. She has asked Rachel to stay for the birth and she feels so, so bad thinking about her plans with Finn. It's just this is such a great experience and she can't pass it up.

Sighing, she walks a little further down the hallway and pulls out her cell phone. Quickly, she clicks on Finn's number (which she has now, thank you very much), and types out a message to him.

Hi Finn, my clinicals are going late tonight. :( Can I have a raincheck? I am so sorry.

She frowns as she presses send because she honestly was looking forward to it. She hopes he doesn't think she's blowing him off because she can't wait to see him. However, she hasn't worked this hard for the past couple years to pass up any oppotunities in the hospital. She's really looking into being a labor and delivery nurse and she wants to experience a birth. She looks down the hall and spots Tina, who looks to be doing the same thing. She's wondering how well Tina and Finn's friend, Mike, are getting along when her phone buzzes in her hand. A wide smile spreads over her face as Finn's name shows up on the scren.

I guess I can let it slide this one time.. Don't make it a habit! ;) How about Saturday?

She's sure if Santana saw her right now, they would surely be making fun of her because she's become that girl that's smiling and giggling down at her phone. But, she can't help it, Finn Hudson is just too sweet for his own good.

Sounds perfect. :)

She puts her phone back in her pocket, grabs her patient's chart, and walks back down the hall with a grin on her face.

It's two and a half hours later when she's finally back in her car, belting out some Barbra Streissand to destress from the day. She's exhausted, having just completed around 12 hours at the hospital, but she's just so happy. Witnessing a live birth was amazing, and she learned so much.

What scares her is that her first instinct is to call Finn and tell him all about it. Is it normal to have this strong of feelings with someone that she barely knows? They have been texting back and forth since they finally exchanged numbers and she's beginning to learn little things about him, like the fact that he's afraid of cats (sorry Lord Tubbington).

She doesn't want to seem desperate, so she quickly tucks those thoughts away as she finally pulls into her apartment complex. Grabbing her stuff, she trudges inside, secretly hoping her roommates are not home. She doesn't want to get grilled about her non-date with Finn and frankly, she's tired and could use some quiet.

No such luck. She sighs as she puts her keep in the lock as a cacophony of sounds fill her ears. Santana, Quinn, Brittany, and some of their other sorority sisters are listening to music loudly while getting ready for what she assumes is a night on the town. She tries to tiptoe down the hall and past where they are getting ready, but is stopped when Santana steps into the hall.

"Thought you had a date?" she asks snarkily. "Let me guess, Mr. Quarterback cancelled. I knew he couldn't be trusted. You know his-"

"Actually, I cancelled the date," Rachel cuts her off hotly. "And it's been a really long day, so I don't want to talk about it. If you have anything bad to say about Finn, please save your breath."

Santana recoils as if she's been slapped. "Look, I'm just trying to look out for you. You know those football guys are. I mean, just look at Puckerman," she explains, ignoring Quinn's indignant shout of "hey!"

"I get that, San," Rachel says, softening a bit, "Finn's different. I don't know how to explain it, I just feel it. So, please just trust me."

"Fine," Santana relents, "But don't expect me to be completely nice to him. Oh, and if he hurts you, his balls are mine."

"I'll let him know," Rachel chuckles and turns towards her room. Closing the door, she throws her stuff on her desk chair, she'll get it later. Laying on her bed, she pulls out her phone and begins scanning through Facebook, when a text message comes in.

Hope you got home alright. Looking forward to Saturday, wear something comfortable. Sweet dreams.

She drifts off to sleep with a smile on her face.

"No."

"No."

"No."

"Rachel!" Quinn huffs, setting yet another rejected dress on her bed, "You're going to have to wear something. C'mon, these are sexy. He won't know what hit him. The other night he couldn't keep his eyes off you when you were wearing one of these."

"Quinn, I appreciate the help, but Finn said to wear something comfortable. These," she says, holding up the dresses and shoes Quinn has been shoving at her all morning, "are not comfortable and they just aren't me."

"What does that even mean? Comfortable? Where are you going? To the farm? Ew. And who goes on an adventerous date during the day?" Quinn turns her nose up in distate.

"I don't know where we're going. He won't tell me," Rachel pouts. "He did say to wear tennis shoes, so I hardly think a dress would be appropriate attire."

"Okay, okay," Quinn relents, going through her drawers in search of a casual outfit. Rachel turns to her vanity and continues putting on her makeup. They work in a comfortable silence until Quinn walks over to Rachel and sits beside her.

"You know, I've been talking to Puck about Finn," Quinn starts.

Rachel's face turns annoyed. "Not you, too!" she barks, about to go into a full blown rant.

"Quit," Quinn says, trying to force her face into a smile. "What I was saying is that I actually think Finn is a great guy. I know I've been hard on him and that was totally fun to make him work for your number, but Puck says he's not a player. Well, he actually said he has no game at all."

Rachel and Quinn both chuckle at that. "I believe it," Rachel says, smiling. "And thanks for looking out for me. It means a lot." Her and Quinn meet eyes and she suddenly feels a lot better about the situation. Quinn's been her best friend since preschool. Hell, she probably wouldn't have made it through high school without Quinn. She's always been there for her and helped push her out of her comfort zones.

"Finn should be here in an hour," Quinn says. "I set out your outfit on the bed. Good luck. Love you." Quinn blows her a kiss and flounces out of the room.

She smiles at herself in the mirror giddily, reaching up to work on her hair.

An hour later, she's ready to go. Finally, Finn is knocking on her door and he surprises her with a bouquet of flowers. She seriously can't breathe because they are white roses and how did he know they were her favorite? She has a feeling Quinn might have helped him and he is just so, so sweet.

One thing she learns quickly about Finn is that he's full of surprises.

He's wearing black sweatpants and a blue long sleeve shirt and he seriously looks so hot. His hair is messy and his shirt hugs his broad chest. His amber eyes are shining and she's struggling not to get lost in them. She's glad she bugged him until he told her a little more about what to wear because she's Rachel Berry and she's nothing if not prepared.

She's decided on black leggings and a bright pink off the shoulder long sleeve shirt. Luckily, it was nice outside because this was the cutest thing she could come up with when Finn told her they were going to the park. She was wondering why he wanted to go on a lunchtime date, but it was all starting to make sense now.

He grabs her hand and the feeling of their skin touching is electric. He smiles that lopsided smile at her that gives her butterflies as he leads her outside. They stop outside of his Jeep and he opens the door for her and she gasps. A golden retriever is sitting in the front seat, tongue wagging. She leans forward to pet the pup and it starts covering her face with kisses.

"Down boy," Finn warns and the dog stops. "Rach, I'd like you to meet Jax. I know you said you how much you love dogs, so I figured he could third wheel with us today. Besides, he's kinda my best bud."

Rachel squeals and launches herself at Finn. Luckily, he catches her in a hug and her senses are invaded with his manly scent. She thought he was attractive before, but Finn Hudson with a dog? The sight makes her want to jump him. Shaking her head of those thoughts she gets into the seat the dog has vacated for the backseat and Finn closes her door.

He starts the engine and begins pulling out of her apartment complex while she turns toward him so she can reach back and pet Jax while they drive.

"So, where are we going?" Rachel asks, as Jax begins licking her hand, causing her to let out a little giggle.

"Well, I know this is a little bit unconventional for a first date, but I thought we could go to the dog park. There's lots of trails and I brought us lunch," he says nodding to a picnic basket in the backseat.

She doesn't say anything right away because she is seriously in awe of him. He did all of this for her? She knows most girls would probably prefer the stereotypical dinner and a movie date, but this was seriously so different and so perfect.

He must take her silence as bad beacuse he quickly says, "Unless you don't want to. We can go eat at-"

She cuts him off by leaning over and kissing his cheek. Her breath hitches as she pulls back and whispers, "Finn, this is perfect."

When they reach park, Jax starts whimpering in excitement, so Rachel opens the door to let him out. It's a dog park, so the dogs are not required to have a leash. Finn goes to trunk to pull out the picnic basketball while Jax runs around for a few minutes. He immediately turns and heads back to Rachel, nudging her hand to pet him when he comes back. She crouches down to his height and begins to stroke his fur, while he attempts to lick her face.

Finn walks up, chuckling. "I think he likes you," he says as Rachel stands up and wraps both hands around his arm as they begin walking. She can't help but feel the defined muscles in his arm and her face flushes thinking about it. Jax walks beside them, sniffing things every once and a while.

"I like him, too," she tells him. "I had no idea you had a dog! I've always wanted one."

"I got Jax about a year ago, when he was a puppy. I had wanted one for a long time and he was just perfect," he said leading her towards a wooded trail, Jax running circles around them. "He can be a handful sometimes, but he's become my best friend."

"That is so cute," Rachel beams at him. "How do you do it with football?"

"I'm lucky because my brother, Kurt, lives with me and Puck and he takes care of him for me when we have away games. He likes to complain, but I know he loves Jax, too. I guess it doesn't help when Jax chews up his scarves," Finn replies.

"So you have a brother?" Rachel asks, smiling when Jax stops to sniff another dog passing by.

"Well, a stepbrother," he explains. "My dad died when I was a baby and my mom got remarried when I was in high school. Burt, that's my stepdad, had a son, Kurt, who was in my class. We actually didn't get along that well at first, but then we all moved in together. It was kind of tough, but we eventually bonded and the rest is history. What about you? Any siblings?"

"Little brother," she says chuckling. "His name's Logan and he's something else. Just turned 13, is totally awkward, and is starting to become girl obsessed. He calls me at least once a week with a new girl that he's trying to impress."

"Ah, I remember those days," he jokes as he winks, and he's got to stop doing that or she will melt right here. "Glad those are gone."

She giggles, looking up at him through her lashes and he stops walking to turn to face her. Their eyes meet and she feels all sorts of butterflies bubble up in her stomach.

"Although, there's this girl that I'm sort of becoming obsessed with," he whispers, bringing a hand up to cup the side of her face.

"She must be a lucky girl," she whispers and he closes the gap between them. The familiar sensation of fireworks exploding around her takes over as their lips meet and she clutches him closer to her, momentarily forgetting they are in a public place and that she doesn't kiss on the first date. Jax barks, and nudges his way between them, ruining the moment. He's pawing at her leg and she's thankful for his interruption, or she's sure she would have embarrassed herself .

She kneels down in front of the dog and peppers kisses along his face as Finn laughs.

"Dude, not cool," he says, kneeling down with them and stroking the dog's fur. "She's mine."

Her breath hitches and she gives him a shy smile. "I think there's enough to go around," she says, throwing him a little wink.

They both stand and lock hands again and continue walking, making small talk along the way. Finn tells her more about Kurt and she loves the way his face lights up talking about their brotherly bond. She tells him more about Logan and how important he is to her. She is a little nervous to tell him about her dads because some people are judgemental and that's totally something she will break up with someone over. She's relieved when it seems to not faze him one bit and he tells her about his brother's boyfriend, Blaine. He constantly makes her laugh and she loves the little dimples that appear on his cheek as they continue down the path.

When they come to a clearing with some trees by a lake. The sun is pouring through the trees and making the water of the lake sparkle. Finn lets go of her hand and places a blanket on the ground as she looks around in amazement. She can't believe she's on this perfect date with this perfect man and she can't help but grin at the sight of Jax nuzzling Finn as he tries to get the food out of the basket.

She takes a moment to just observe him and the way the light hits his face, really highlighting his freckles. He's so handsome and kind and there's just something between them she cannot describe. It's like coming home, but also being on an adventure at the same time. She's never believed in love at first sight, she's thought that was for silly girls. She's always lived by the notion that you have to work for what you get and that things take time, but being here with Finn is certainly clarifying as she feels things she's never felt before. It's all so sudden and new and she just wants to live in every moment.

She must have spaced out a bit, lost deep in her thoughts, because he's setting down food in front of her and giving her a timid smile.

"So, I'm not much of a cook, but I remember you said you're vegan," his soft voice spoke to her, as he handed her a a plastic carton. "So, I got you a salad from that cafe by the coffee shop that you said you love."

He's blushing and it's just too cute as she feels her own cheeks flame. "Thanks," she says accepting the bowl and silverware he was handing her.

He takes out his own burger and digs in as he easily leans up against a tree. Jax has abandoned chasing squirrels in favor of laying on their blanket, his head in her lap, looking up at her as she eats. There's something somewhat domestic about the scene and she shakes her head to rid herself of those thoughts. Hello, this is their first date. She can't be thinking about tbat.

"So, what made you want to be a nurse?" he converses easily as they continue eating.

"Well, when I was younger, I always wanted to be a Broadway actress," she giggles. "I was the girl who sang everything all the time and was overly dramatic."

He chuckles at that, "I bet you were cute."

She blushes a little. "I don't think everyone else thought that, but that's another story for another day. When I was 8, I suddenly couldn't sing anymore and found out I had tonsilitis. I had to get my tonsils out, and long story short, I was a terror in the hospital."

She takes a bite of her salad before continuing, "I had this nurse, her name was Maggie, and she was just great. She took all of the temper tantrums in stride and when I refused to sing after the procedure in fear of never having my voice again, she helped me get there. Ever since then, I just wanted to help people like that. Plus, it helps that I'm really good at science."

He laughs, leaning his head back against the tree, "I wish I was good at science," he says. "Or anything."

The statement strikes her as odd because he's the starting quarterback who has led the Buckeyes to wins in bowl games the past few seasons. She places her hand on his arm, "What do you mean you aren't good at anything? You're a great quarterback, Finn. A natural leader."

He gives her that half smile, "So you have watched my games?"

"A few," she winks and leans further towards him.

"I just feel like football's the only thing I'm good at. I wasn't the smartest in high school. Still not. That's why I'm staying at OSU for my senior season. I want my degree just to prove that football isn't the only thing I'm good at."

"Then what?" she asks, genuinely curious about his future plans.

He shrugs, "Get drafted hopefully. I think I have a pretty good shot. If that doesn't work out, then I'll have my degree in sports managment. If I can't play, I could at least do something in the sports world. Hell, maybe I could manage Puck."

"That's really great, Finn," Rachel beamed, softly stroking Jax who has fallen asleep on her lap. "So how long have you known Noah?"

He laughs a little and she thinks it's probably because she refused to call Noah Puck. Noah is a perfectly suitable name and she will not refer to him as an object used in hockey.

"Since I can remember. Our moms were friends and both single moms, so they always helped each other out. He's been my best friend since."

Jax makes a little noise in his sleep and shifts a bit and it's the cutest thing ever. Finn leans closer to her, and they are pretty much hip to hip as he pets the dog. "Sorry, dude, you are too."

She realizes just how close they are as his breath whips across her face, but rather than lean in to kiss her, he simply places a kiss to her temple. She thinks she likes that even more.

"I really like you, Rach," he admits to her, looking down sheepishly. "And I know my life's a little crazy with football and everything, but I'm just a normal guy. I haven't felt like this about someone, like ever, and I just want you to know that I won't hurt you. I just think we have something special between us."

"Me too, QB," she says softly and she doesn't know why she ever called him that in the first place but she kind of likes it and she can tell he does too.

"Good," he says, leaning towards her until their lips are just centimeters apart. "So, how about another date?"

"Can't wait," she says, closing the gap, one thought lingering in her head.

Best date ever.

A/N: So, I was struggling a bit with this chapter, but I wanted to get it out. I wanted to get inside Rachel's head a little bit, but I find it harder to write her than Finn. Like I said before, the storyling will be picking up soon and I hope to have the next chapter out within the next week.