Choices – Chapter 2

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters.)

The night after Finn told Rachel, Kurt, Carole, and Burt about his meeting with the recruiter from the Army was a long fitful night for all of them.

Finn had gone to sleep quickly, but was awakened by one bizarre dream after another. One dream was of him washing dishes in a grimy diner while Kurt and Rachel were students away all day at their classes. In another terrifying dream, he was a witness to his own military funeral. Rachel and his mother held each other closely as Carole was presented with the flag that had covered his coffin. He watched as his own coffin being lowered into the ground and winced at the sound of the twenty-one gun salute and the mournful sound of Taps being played. That dream had left him so shaken and drenched with sweat that he got up and went down to the kitchen for a cold glass of milk.

In the dim glow of a nightlight over the kitchen stove, Burt soon joined him.

"Tough night buddy?" Burt asked his step-son.

"Just one bad dream after another," Finn answered sipping his milk and staring at nothing in particular.

Burt sat down at the kitchen table with Finn and began their late night conversation, "I meant what I said when I told you and your mother that I thought the tire store would be in good hands with you running it while we're gone. The day to day operation isn't bad, and Kurt and I can help you with the books."

"Kurt's mother left him enough money to go to school, but if you would like to go to the community college, I'll find the money to pay for it," Burt offered.

"Thank you Burt, I appreciate it. Any kid in my shoes would jump at the chance. It's just that I really wanted to get out of Lima for awhile like everyone else. I feel like if I don't take the opportunity to get out of town now, then I'm going to be stuck here for the rest of my life."

"It's not a bad life," Burt chuckled. "I'm able to support my family changing tires, but you're a young man and I understand. Why do you think I joined the Navy? I wanted to see the world, and I did get a good look at Hawaii."

Burt paused, "But your mother is right; you could take some business classes at the community college at night and run the tire shop during the day."

"It's not that Burt. I just wanted to go somewhere, anywhere. You, Mom, Kurt, and Rachel will all be leaving and I'll be stuck here by myself."

"Would somewhere else include the backside of a M-16 in Afghanistan?" Burt asked. "The war in Iraq is over, but according to the news, we'll be fighting in Afghanistan for at last the next ten years. When I served it was during peace time, and I got lucky ending up being assigned to the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii."

"That's the part that scares me the most about it all," Finn sighed heavily. "Who knows where they'll send me or what I'll be doing. I like the idea of leaving Lima and having the Army help me with college money. I know that I told Mom and Rachel that lots of guys come back without a scratch, but deep down I'm still afraid. I don't want to get killed or wounded."

"Finn, I'd like to ask you two questions. One, have you ever handled a gun? Two, could you shoot another human being if you had to?" Burt asked Finn seriously.

"I don't know. I went hunting with my Grandpa Hudson once when I was ten, and he shot a deer."

"How did that make you feel?" Burt asked.

"I thought it was great until we got up close to the deer. It was still trying to get up and Grandpa shot the poor thing again. I had to go into the bushes and throw up. I never went hunting with him after that," Finn confessed.

"I've never had to point a gun at another human being, but shooting another person is going to be a lot worse than shooting a deer. You might have to shoot another person in order to protect yourself, your buddies, and your platoon. There will be no time to think about it. There will be no hitting the reset button and starting the video game over."

"I know," said Finn quietly. "It's a lot to think about, but thank you so much for offering to pay for community college and having enough faith in me to run your business. I won't forget it no matter what I decide to do."

"Hey, isn't that what dads are for," Burt said before he rubbed Finn's shoulder and headed back to bed.

Finn finished his milk and put the glass in the sink before heading back to bed. He thought about that helpless deer. But Finn kept telling himself that the deer wasn't armed, and the deer wasn't trying to kill him. His grandpa just wanted some venison steaks for dinner, and the overpopulation of deer was destroying his garden.

Nearing dawn Finn was once again asleep and having the best dream. He dreamed he was the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Rachel was their head cheerleader. He was passing for a touchdown against Michigan when he was woke up by the sound of Kurt's phone next door. From the ring tone Finn realized that it was Blaine calling. He heard Kurt say a few words before he heard Kurt run down stairs, open and shut the front door before he ran back upstairs.

"Snow Day!" Kurt announced before he dropped a handful of the white fluffy stuff in Finn's face.

"Kurt! Your boyfriend and your freaking phone had to wake me from one of the best dreams that I've ever had in my life and now you dump snow in my face? You're going to pay!"

Finn was chasing Kurt back to his room when Kurt slammed his bedroom door in Finn's face and locked it behind him.

"You can run but you can't hide!" Finn yelled through Kurt's door.

"What's going on up there? It's five o'clock in the morning for crying out loud!" Burt yelled up the stairs to the boy's rooms.

"It's a snow day and Kurt had to throw some snow in my face while I was sleeping," Finn yelled back down the steps.

"Well you two clean it up!" Burt yelled back.

"Me? I didn't do anything," Finn protested.

"If you don't get it up before it melts, you'll be sleeping in a wet bed," Burt said shaking his head before heading into the kitchen to start the morning coffee.

Finn turned to get the melting snow out of his bed but before he did he walked over to Kurt's door and said in a menacing voice, "Oh Kurtie, get ready for some pay-back. You can't stay in there until all of the snow outside melts."

"I can try," Kurt said from behind the door.

"Well, I going to go and get a whole bucket of the freaking stuff and put it in the freezer," Finn laughed sinisterly.

"You wouldn't do something like that to your own brother would you?" Kurt asked through the door.

"Don't you know? That's what brothers are for!" I grew up with Puck, so I've learned the art of pay-back from the master!" Finn laughed again as he went to get the melting snow out of his bed.

As dawn brightened into morning, Finn dozed and heard his mom and Burt leave for work. Later Kurt stuck his head in Finn's door and told him that he would be over at Blaine's house. Blaine's convertible sports car couldn't get out of the driveway. Finn's pay-back would have to wait.

Finn rolled over and was almost asleep again when he heard his door open slowly. His covers were lifted letting in a cold blast of air hit his back as he felt the edge of his bed sink.

"Kurt, I swear! It that's you with more snow, you're going to regret the day you were born!" Finn said between his clinched teeth.

"Shhh, it's just me," Rachel whispered as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Rachel, how did you get in here?" Finn asked in surprise.

"Kurt let me in and told me you were up here. He said he was atoning for his sins or something like that," Rachel whispered as she kissed the back of Finn's neck.

"If Kurt wants to make up for dumping snow in my face earlier this morning, I think that he just did," Finn smiled as he turned to face his girlfriend.

"How did you get here? Kurt had to go over to Blaine's in the Navigator."

"I walked. I've been having bad dreams about you all night and I had to see for myself that you were okay. A phone call wouldn't do," Rachel confessed as she nuzzled her face into Finn's warm T-shirt.

"I've had some bad dreams too," Finn said as he kissed Rachel's forehead.

"Did you tell your mom about joining the Army?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, and she took it just like you said she would. She and Burt even got into an argument when he didn't agree with her. But good ole Burt. He offered to pay for me to go to the community college, and he trusts me to run his business while he and Mom are gone. I couldn't ask for a better step-dad."

"Are you going to take him up on the offer?" Rachel asked looking Finn in the eye.

"I don't know. He and I had a long talk last night. He sees my side of it, but also knows that Mom would curl up and die if something happened to me."

"Well I stayed up late last night researching other colleges, and the G.I. Bill, and our country's fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan. I've got loads of information downstairs for us to look at since there's no school today," Rachel beamed.

"I've never had a snow day with my girl in an empty house before, but hold that thought. I'll be right back." Finn smiled mischievously as he jumped out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked surprised.

"Bathroom!" Finn yelled back over his shoulder as he disappeared through his bedroom door.

He returned a few minutes later in just his pajama bottoms with toothpaste on his mouth.

"I'm cold," Rachel said as she held back the blankets for him.

"I think I know how to warm you up Miss. Berry," Finn whispered before he enveloped her in his arms.

Just before noon, Rachel was up making breakfast for the two of them while Finn finished his shower. She had all of the Army and college information in stacks on the dining room table.

Finn was just finishing his steel-cut oatmeal when Rachel asked him, "Finn, what makes you happy?"

"What we just did makes me happy," Finn smiled with a wink.

"Me too, but seriously, what makes you happy?" Rachel asked again.

"Football is all I know and performing on stage with you makes me happy," Finn answered.

"Well let's see if we can work that into a plan for your life," Rachel said as she retrieved some of the college information.

"Whoa, did you check the trash can in my room? There're already five rejection letters in it, and Ohio State wasn't impressed with my football skills," Finn sighed deeply.

"Let's set our sights a little lower than Ohio State and the Big Ten Conference. There are lots of smaller schools with great football programs and your singing and dancing have really improved," Rachel smiled hopefully.

After pouring over all the information that Rachel had brought for about two hours, Finn said that he needed a break and wanted to play in the snow.

"You're such a kid," Rachel laughed throwing Finn his scarf and gloves.

"A kid that's crazy in love with you!" Finn laughed as they both tugged on their boots.

Outside they were like two little kids again. They chased each other around the yard, made snow angels, had a ferocious snow ball fight, and then sat down in the snow to build a snow man.

The snow was still falling gently around them as Finn put his scarf on the snowman for the finishing touch.

"Rachel, I wish we could stay like this. Everything is so white and clean. The snow has covered up all the ugliness of the world. It's like our own little snow globe out here," Finn said looking up to the sky at the still falling snow.

"Me too, babe. Me too," Rachel sighed as she wrapped her arms around Finn and hugged him for dear life.

-/-

Until the next chapter, thank you so much for the reviews and adding my story to you alert lists. I appreciate all of your suggestions and comments. Sincerely, Whistler Nights