For anybody reading The Day the Music Died, I'm a little blocked on the latest chapter. It should be posted soon, but if I can't figure out where I'm going with it by this afternoon then it may not be up until Monday since I'm having honest to god non-fanfic related fun this weekend. Bear with me please, and until then enjoy this chapter.
They were fully dressed and collected by the time they reached the hotel, ready to enjoy a goodnight sleep and a hard-earned day off. They would have to try to keep their hands off each other until they reached the room, there was no telling who they would run into on the way there. The entire road crew was holed up in the hotel until they left for their next destination. Kurt Hummel, Rachel's hairdresser and closest confidant was the only one who knew about their secret romance, he was a relentless gossip but Rachel knew that she could trust him. He had found out by accident the one time they weren't quite careful enough and he managed to walk in on them making out in the tour bus kitchenette while he was going for a midnight snack. After much pleading he had agreed to keep quiet, even if he was a little offended by the fact that she hadn't told him herself. Kurt could be trusted, but no one else could know, especially not Shelby, Rachel's mother and manager. Rachel was 23 years old, but nobody would know it the way Shelby was with her, she was notoriously overprotective, and she had been ever since Rachel first hit the scene as a 16 year old prodigy.
"Rachel, honey," Shelby said greeting her in the hotel lobby, they didn't know that she would be waiting, but they should have expected as much.
"Hi mom," Rachel said about as enthusiastically as she could muster considering her fatigue.
"Sorry I couldn't make the show, I heard you were just wonderful." She continued, embracing her daughter and kissing her lightly on the cheek.
"She was amazing, better than amazing," Finn gushed.
"Well Mr. Hudson as always I appreciate you looking out for her," Shelby said, draping her arm around Rachel's shoulder. "But I got it from here, I'm sure you're anxious to get some sleep."
"Actually Mr. Hudson was going to walk me to my room, just to be on the safe side," Rachel said.
"But I wanted to have an apple martini at the hotel bar with my best girl," Shelby said. "And Arthur Abrams from Fanarchy Magazine is waiting, he wanted to ask you some questions about the tour."
"Mom I've been doing interviews all day. I'm exhausted, can't we reschedule?"
"I'm sorry baby but he's only in town for the night, I promise it won't take long."
"Okay, I guess I could have one drink, Mr. Hudson would you like to join us?" Rachel said.
"Um, sure, if it's okay with you Mrs. Corcoran."
"Um, okay, I suppose that'll be fine," Shelby said, sounding a bit hesitant.
"Okay, let's get this over with," Rachel sighed.
"At least try to seem a little excited, the last thing we need are more diva rumors circulating," Shelby insisted.
"Okay, I'll try to pretend like I've slept more than two hours in the last three days," Rachel grumbled.
"And by the way, you don't always have to include everyone within earshot," Shelby whispered as they made their way to the hotel bar. It didn't seem quite hushed enough for Finn not to be able to hear it at least partially, but somehow Rachel felt like Shelby wanted him to hear.
"Oh my god," Rachel said, falling facedown onto her cushy bed. She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, a euphoric smile on her face. "Hello bed, I missed you, did you miss me?"
"I'm sure it did," Finn said, lowering himself on top of her and pressing his lips to hers, tasting the mild tang of apple martini on her lips as he sucked her tongue into his mouth and caressed her smooth, plump lips with his.
"I so glad you're here," she said sleepily as he peppered her neck with soft kisses and she tangled her fingers into his hair. "I don't think I would survive this tour without you."
"You'd be just fine," Finn said as he sat upright and grabbed one of her tiny feet in his hands, removing her strappy shoe. "You're tougher than you think." He removed the other shoe and began to rub her foot.
"Mmm, that feels nice," She said, her voice faraway.
"Come on, sit up," he said gently, putting her foot down and standing up at the edge of her bed.
"Do I have to?"
"Just for a second."
"I hate you so much," she groaned, sitting up and resting her sleepy head on his torso.
"Arms up."
She obeyed, raising her arms, her eyes still closed. And he grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up over her head, setting it aside. He removed her bra next, struggling with the clasp a little more than he felt proud of admitting. Her nightie was conveniently close enough for him to reach without moving too far, he grabbed it and lowered it onto Rachel's naked body.
"Thank you," she said, sounding sleepier with each syllable.
"Okay, come on gorgeous," he said, picking her up into his arms and laying her down at the right end of her bed before pulling the blanket up over her body.
"I'm just going to let myself out. You get some sleep." he said quietly.
"No, don't go," she said, grabbing his wrist with a surprising amount of strength considering she was practically passed out. "Stay with me."
He smiled down at her lovingly as she slept and he knew that there was no way he was going anywhere. How she always managed to hold him hostage without even trying was beyond him. He pulled off one of his shoes with his foot and the other with both hands and shook off his jacket before climbing into bed next to her, pulling her into his strong arms and letting her sink into him. He hated that she had to work so much, that she was so tired all of the time. It was only the music that kept her going, the music and him, or so she always said.
It was nearly noon when he woke up, Rachel still nestled securely in his arms. He wasn't surprised, she was usually a morning person, but not after a straight week of nonstop shows, interviews, TV spots and autograph signings. This was her time now.
She spun around in his arms to face him and smiled as she woke up. "Hi," she said sweetly.
"Hi," he said, brushing a messy bit of hair out of her face.
"I don't think I've ever slept so well in my life," she said. "I think I may have died for a second."
"You know what we should do?" Finn said. "Order room service and just stay in bed all day long. My treat"
"The cheapest thing here is the apple pinenut salad, it's nineteen dollars."
"It's okay, all that money I stole from your purse last night should cover it," he joked.
She smiled and playfully mussed his hair. "Let me handle it, you know I don't mind."
"Yeah, I know," he said deflating a little. "Did you want to get that?" he continued as her phone began to vibrate on her nightstand.
"Nobody's that important" she said, "especially not today, just let it go to voicemail."
"I have no problem with that," he said placing a long kiss on her eager mouth. But their blissful amorous moment was once again cut short as her cellphone vibrated once more.
"Crap," she said, relenting and grabbing for her phone. "On no, it's my mother, and she's called six times."
"You're momager always calls over and over, it can't be that important," Finn said.
"If it's all the same I think I'll see what's going on, I'll be right back," she said, leaving him with a quick kiss before going out to the balcony to talk with her mother.
Finn clicked on the TV hoping to at least catch some sports news before she came back to bed. He settled on Espn and sat up in bed. He wasn't the least bit interested in what Rachel was talking about with her mother, and he couldn't adequately hear through the door anyway, but when she came back inside the look on her face suggested that he should be very interested.
"Finn," Rachel said worriedly. "She wants to see you."
Finn figured it was something about payroll or maybe Shelby thought he had been hoarding bus food or something, either way he was none to enthusiastic about cutting his day with Rachel short, and he had to admit he was a little worried that Shelby seemed to know that he was with Rachel, but he shrugged it off. Once you've been on tour together you developed a rapport, so even if he was in Rachel's room at noon there was no reason for Shelby to believe that it wasn't totally innocent. Plenty of Rachel's road crew hung out in her room from time to time, Kurt, her cellist slash Kurt's boyfriend Blaine, her guitarist Sam and her make-up girl Tina always hung out in there from time to time. They were Rachel's only friends, why should Finn be any exception?
He knocked hesitantly on Shelby's door, not surprised that Mercedes, her personal assistant was the one to answer.
"Hey Mercedes, Shelby wanted to see me?"
"Right through there," Mercedes said, raising her eyebrow at him almost accusingly.
He ignored Mercedes' odd expression and entered the sitting room of Shelby's suite.
"Why hello Mr. Hudson, you're a difficult man to get a hold of," she said, her face hard to read.
"Sorry, my cell must have been turned off," he said sheepishly.
"No worries, please sit," he obeyed, sitting across from Shelby and wondering exactly what was going on. She took a long sip of her coffee and turned her steely gaze back toward him.
"Um, Mrs. Corcoran, can I ask what this is about?" Finn said politely.
"Of course, how rude of me to keep you waiting," she said. "I'm sure you're in a hurry to get back to sleeping with my daughter."
Finn's in a world of trouble, and how exactly did Shelby find out? Stay tuned for more.