Disclaimer: I do NOT own Glee, however, Ryan Murphy and FOX do.
Chapter Two: Can I Ask You Something?
Rachel and Veronica grabbed their husbands' arms and pulled them into the living room in front of their children. Sitting down on the sofa all four of them a mix of emotions, excited, suspicious, confused, a medley of more. Finn and Jesse both as confused as the other forgot their animosity towards each other as they sat beside each other between their wives looking at Wynter and Ian. The two men were oblivious, Rachel and Veronica on the other hand were not, they were buzzing with excitement, Rachel being cautious for Finn grabbed his arm in hers. Tightly.
"Ow Rachel, loosen your grip. Now, quick question, why are we all still sat here?" Finn asked wiggling his arm to try and loosen Rachel's vice grip on his arm.
"Because we have good news, or bad… it all depends on how you want to take it Dad." Wynter replied reaching over to grab Ian's hand. "I'm pregnant." The second the words left Wynter's mouth Rachel and Veronica let out a small squeal of excitement leaving Finn and Jesse to pick their jaws up off of the ground.
"Wait, wait, wait, pregnant?… a baby…?"Finn mumbled as Jesse stood up and walked over to his son and Wynter. Rachel seeing Finn's shock and confusion went and sat beside her husband, her hand reaching for his. She knew this would hit him hard, Wynter was his baby she always would be no matter how old she was, this was just another sign that she wasn't his little girl anymore and she didn't need her dad around as much. Finn was a big part of his children's life, Wynter's especially, he'd missed work on her first day of school just to help her onto the bus and see her off around the corner.
"Finn it's okay, just think, soon enough you'll have another baby around to spoil like you did with our kids." Rachel said quietly, Wynter took a second look at her dad and came to sit on his left leaving Ian to talk to his parents.
"Daddy, you knew it would happen soon enough, I do still need you around all the time to help me, I'll still be your little girl, just with my own baby now." she smiled and wrapped her arms around Finn's torso as his free arm wrapped around her shoulders, a small smile playing on the corner of his mouth.
"I know that baby, you just grow up too fast for your old man, and for the record I am happy for you, so happy, you just have to give me a little time to get over the shock.." he replied letting go of his daughter and of Rachel's hand as he stood up. "Ian, can I talk to you in the hallway for a minute?"
"Of course sir." Ian answered walking out with Finn into the warm hallway, the dim light for the lamp the only light in the space. Upstairs Finn could here the boys and Isabelle listening to music and talking, he took a seat on the stairs and moved over for Ian to join him.
"Kid you're family now, it's Finn or Dad, you choose. I just wanted to talk to you, get this off of my chest now. I'm not going to be harsh, I promise. Now, I know you love Wynter, you look at her like I look at Rachel, and well you're a good guy, I like you, but I have something to say first."
"Anything… Finn… I mean I know this must be hard on you, the news and all." Ian replied looking over at his father in law, Finn wore a look of peace, like he was in deep thought.
"You know when Wynter was born I was young but right then when I saw her I knew I'd done something right in my life, normally it takes the first time a father holds his baby to realize it's not all about him anymore, that was the same for me." Finn smiled softly, his arms folded over his knees as he leant forward and looked at Ian. The day she was born I swore I'd go to the ends of the earth for her, and grow up, make a good life for my girls. Somehow I managed to graduate and get us a place in New York so Rachel could have her dreams of Broadway, I got a job and made us a life. What I'm trying to say Ian is that my family is the one thing I did right in my life and this baby will make Wynter happy, my family is everything to me, please just don't hurt my little girl." Finn smiled at Ian, resting a hand on his shoulder as he stood up. "One more thing, my step dad told me once when I was younger, it's one thing to be a father, but it takes a lot more to be a dad. Think that over."
Finn left Ian sat on the stairs as he walked into the living room and pulled Rachel and Wynter against his chest. Ian did think about what Finn had said for a moment before he stood up and watched Finn with his girls, he stood by his own parents and only his mother wrapped her arms around him. Finn was a great father when on the other hand Jesse hardly had time for his own two children, and when he did it was time telling them how to be better. Better at what they didn't know. Ian wanted to be a good dad to his son or daughter, he wanted to be like Finn. Finn who made time for his kids, who was at every event in his kids life. Ian had been with Wynter for seven years, he'd seen how her family worked, no arguments and family night, most of the time his family at home consisted of his mom, Isabelle and himself.
Jesse, Veronica and Isabelle left after everyone got over the news that had been bestowed upon them. Wynter and Ian were staying with Finn and Rachel's house for a week, so they said goodnight and went to bed. When Finn and Rachel went to bed Finn had trouble sleeping, fair enough everything was fine and tomorrow was Christmas but he just couldn't get his brain to shut up. It kept replaying the first Christmas with Wynter around, the first Christmas in New York.
Wynter had been eleven months old then, that Christmas eve, that night was when she first stood up on her own without any help from either of her parents. It had been the first Christmas as a family and no one ever forgot how they gathered in Finn and Rachel's tiny living room and celebrated the holiday. It wasn't a dull Christmas either, they talked, they sang and with Wynter around it was the best Christmas the gang had, had in a long time.
Finn fell asleep that night thinking about everything, he always did the same thing and he'd be so tired Rachel had to drag him out of bed, every Christmas. This year was no exception, he awoke with Rachel pulling on his arm.
"Finn, come on, everyone will be here soon and you're not up and the gifts aren't organized." she said giving up and letting out a gasp when he pulled her onto his chest his arms tight around her waist.
"If I know you Rachel, which I do, it's only six thirty and no one will be here until nine. So, I think we should go back to sleep, and if not sleep I can think of something else we could do for a few hours." Finn said pressing his lips to hers for a moment, when he pulled away Rachel laughed and tried to loosen his grip.
"Finn, maybe later, but you need to get up and organize the gifts and shift some furniture to make room." She replied leaning down again to kiss him before standing up and moving towards the closet. He sat up on his elbows and watched her search for clothes. "Did you mean it last night about moving?"
"I mean it, I mean this house is nice but it's just not big enough, this time next year there will be thirty four in the family, all crammed into our living room. I mean we'll only move if you want to and we can move to any house you and the boys want to." he answered sliding out of bed in just his sweats like every morning and moving to collect the clothes that Rachel held out for him.
"We can stay here in Brooklyn though right?" she asked continuing to look for clothes for herself.
"Of course we can, my groups going to Nationals again and it has to be this group. But it does have to be a place nice enough for my grand kids to come to."
Finn walked into the bathroom to shower leaving Rachel smiling that he had warmed up to the idea of Wynter having a baby of her own.
"So, you're okay with Wynter having her own children?" Rachel asked ten minutes later when he came out of the bathroom as she finished changing. He sat down on the bed watching her do her hair and make-up, he was silent, looking for an answer.
"Yeah I'm okay with it, I'm happy for them." he replied a moment later watching in the mirror as his wife's smile grew. "I mean I remember when we found out you were pregnant with Wynter, I mean sure we were only seventeen and scared, worried, but we were happy right?"
"Of course we were happy we were having a baby." she answered, rolling her eyes at her husband who was sat looking at his hands.
"I'm just saying, I want that for Wynter, the happiness and all, she's ready for a child Rach, something that we weren't, you know?" Finn said a small chuckle in his voice before hi continued. "And Ian's a good guy, as long as he's good with my little girl and my soon to be grand kid he's fine by me."
"He reminds me of a guy I know." Rachel replied causing Finn to look up at her, confusion colouring his face. "Oh yeah, he's tall, insanely handsome, one of the nicest people I've ever met, plus he's great with children."
"Do I know him?" Finn asked causing Rachel to laugh as she moved to sit beside him on the bed, her hand taking his left so she could play with the ring there on his finger.
"You should do, I married him."
"Oh… you mean me." he said making her laugh more as she leant against him.
"Of course I mean you, you're amazing Finn and Ian tries to be like you, more than his own father. You know as well as I that Jesse isn't the best father out there, but you? You're a great dad." Rachel explained as Finn squeezed her hand. "Help him out honey, he might need it."
"I can do that, they're here for a week, I'll show Ian all he needs to know." Finn smiled and nudged Rachel's arm before standing up and dragging her with him. It was seven thirty by now and they had to get their butts in gear and rearrange the living room to make space for everyone.
At eight Ian and Wynter came down stairs and Ian helped Finn move the sofa and bookshelf, the heaviest book shelf as it housed most of the photo albums. It took them half an hour to do that and once they were done Rachel asked Finn to organize the gifts into piles for each person. Ian trying to get on Finn's good side sat down on the floor with him and helped organize the gifts.
"So a daddy huh? How far along is she?" Finn asked as they collected gifts into stacks.
"The doctor said two months, so next month we find out the gender." Ian answered, taking a gift from Finn and putting it on a new pile. "Finn, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, obviously I know nothing about this baby stuff, but is it normal to be worried, and scared when you're going to have a baby around soon?"
"Yeah it's normal, of course, I mean soon you'll have a tiny baby who needs you to do everything for them. You're lucky son, you're an adult, you're married, financially stable, you can provide for a child with less worry. Rachel and I were seventeen, not a lot of money, we'd only been dating a year and a baby was the last thing on our minds at the time. You and Wynter will be great parents."
"Were you scared?"
Finn thought for a moment, adding another gift to Rachel's pile, looking at Ian Finn saw the look Ian wore, his face portraying the need for guidance, Finn smiled and stood up to grab a photo album labelled; SEVENTEEN/EIGHTEEN: SENIOR YEAR. He opened it up to the first picture in the book, a picture Emma took of Will and the Glee Club the first rehearsal.
"Rachel was two months along here, I was turning eighteen a few weeks after this was took, but I was young and so, so scared." Finn flipped to the next photo; a photo of Rachel's birthday party/slash baby shower a month before Wynter was born. "I worked two jobs, we tried everything to make the pregnancy run smoothly, but something happened."
The next picture was of a calendar in the hallway of the hospital, marking the date; January 12th 2012.
"Wynter was born three months premature, she was due in April and we were so excited for April to get here so we could meet our baby. But something changed course and she decided she wanted to arrive early. That just made it scarier you know?"
Once again Finn flipped the page, the picture this time was the first picture ever taken of Wynter. She was in the incubator a blindfold over her eyes and tubes an machines hooked up to her tiny body.
"I was told that in the first week of her life that she may not make it, but she did and we were so happy. This was a photo I took the first time we saw our baby, she was so small and so fragile, this was a week after she was born."
The next picture was the one Quinn had taken of Finn holding Wynter, at the time he'd lost weigt and his hair was a mess but he was smiling.
It was a month later in February that we got to hold her for the first time and I can't begin to describe how that feels son. But basically, the whole being scared and worried is normal but when you meet them, the little person who's all yours, it goes away and… well then it's all about them."
"So it's normal for me to feel scared, cause I'm just… I'm excited don't get me wrong… just scared too." Ian said, taking the photo album from Finn as his father in law went back to pilling gifts on their respective piles. Thirty three piles to be exact. The two men didn't know that Rachel and Wynter had been listening the whole time, Rachel was even dabbing a tear from her eye. It was almost nine and the guests would be arriving soon and their husbands weren't even half way done.
"Boys we have ten minutes, come on get your butts in gear." Rachel said walking into the living room and sitting in Finn's lap, taking the gift from his hand and putting it on a pile. They all sat and joked around and organized the gifts. When they were done Finn went upstairs to get the boys up, after a wrestling session they went down stairs to a house slowly filling up with people.
Everyone had sat and opened gifts and Ian had shared the baby news and by the time everything had calmed down it was dinner time. They were all having a good time until Jesse opened his mouth.
"Well then Ian, with a baby on the way you and Wynter better make sure you get some money rolling in, with a baby on the way you two might be on the streets, you can't afford that new house and car with a baby on the way." he said, causing the room to go silent until Finn slammed his fist down on the table and pushed passed everyone.
"Get out of my house right now St. James. It's one thing to say that to your son, but to my daughter too? I don't think so, get out and don't come back here again." Finn shouted, coming to a stop when Rachel and Puck grabbed his arms. "You hardly have the right to say that to your son, you're no father to him or your daughter. Veronica and Isabelle can stay for the rest of the day if they'd like but you'd better get your ass out right now before I do something about it."
Jesse looked at Finn quickly before standing up and leaving. Finn watched him go before turning to Ian and Wynter.
"And if you two ever need anything, no matter what it is, tell me and I'll make sure you have it." he said sighing when Puck and Rachel let go of him. Veronica and Isabelle were looking at Finn with soft smiles while the others looked at him with respect, they all knew it was only a matter of time until Finn snapped with Jesse St. James.
Finn moved back to where he was sat before, he was quiet and everyone let him have his space. When everyone moved into the living room Wynter hung back and say beside her father who still hadn't spoken since he kicked Jesse out.
"Daddy, you shouldn't have to stay quiet like this, Jesse had it coming. You did the right thing." she said resting her hand on his forearm as Finn shook his head.
"I've put up with him for too long, he had no right to say what he did to you and Ian. I wasn't going to let him get away with hurting my family." Finn sighed looking at his daughter as she hugged him. "God, I remember when you could fit into my hand, I miss that."
"That was twenty eight years ago Daddy, I had to grow up some time right?"
"Sadly, and now you're having a baby of your own, do you want a boy or a girl?"
"Either is perfectly fine by me, what did you want Daddy?"
Finn smiled and took a drink of his coffee as Rachel walked in and took a seat on his other side.
"Your dad wanted a little girl, he got what he wanted, I was happy with that." she said, stealing a sip of his coffee as Wynter smiled.
"Ian wants a girl too, but I have the feeling it's a boy." Wynter replied as she stood up and moved towards the living room when Quinn called her name. Finn and Rachel sat in a comfortable silence there in the kitchen for a minute before Rachel took his hand.
"I love you." she stated simply, leaning against him gently, letting his hand go as his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"I love you too, but you knew that." he smiled, squeezing her against his side and kissing her head.
When the day was over and everyone had gone home or to bed Finn sat downstairs for a while, enjoying the silence with a coffee in his hand. The whole house was quiet not a single sound, not even laughing from the boys' room like most nights. It was a silent night and that's all Finn really needed right now.
So, Chapter Two, what do you guys think? I want to know everything. Also if you have any ideas for baby names add them to your reviews.
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