The Singing Quarterback – Chapter 2

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters. I also do not own the Lincoln Ghost Train, the Moonville Tunnel, or the Polar Express stories or Kool-Aid.)

As promised, the media arrived at the McKinley High auditorium at three o'clock to interview New Directions about their win at the National Show Choir Championship in New York. Their mega size trophy had to be shipped over night from New York and had arrived just hours before the reporters and the camera crews arrived.

The reporters interviewed everyone, but they seemed to be most interested in who they had dubbed "The Singing Quarterback" and the small town girl who had already been offered early acceptance to Juilliard, NYU, and Berkley. Finn and Rachel were all over the Good News segments of evening news.

The pictures in the next morning newspaper papers where of Finn in his football jersey and Rachel standing beside a trophy that was four inches taller than she was. The largest picture was of Finn holding the conference football championship trophy in one hand while standing beside the five foot, six inch show choir trophy.

Everyone was interviewed, but the interview that received the most play was Finn's. The reporter asked what his plans were after high school. Finn told the reporters that he wanted to play football for Ohio State in Columbus.

While the kids were being interviewed by the media, Coach Beiste, Ms. Pillsbury/Howell and several members of the staff and school board watched and listened from the back of the auditorium.

Coach Beiste leaned over to Emma and whispered, "If Finn wants to go to Ohio State, then let's see if we can make it happen. I know at least one of the recruiters in their athletic department. We met while he was recruiting my players in Missouri."

"I'm already working on it," Emma whispered back. "Finn has been coming to my SAT prep classes and Rachel has been tutoring him. His latest SAT scores meet OSU's requirements, but money is a problem for his family."

Later, down in Columbus, the singing quarterback story had made the back page of the local newspaper's sports section. In the recruiting office of OSU, one of the scouts made a note of it, and made a memo to check this quarterback out especially when he saw who his football coach was. Coach Shannon Beiste was the only woman high school football coach that he knew of, and she had a reputation for turning losing teams into winners.

Graduation was set for the following week; the majority of New Directions would be in the next senior class. The group had been asked to sing at graduation and Rachel, Artie, Mike, Kurt, and Quinn were serving as Junior Marshals for the ceremony. They were among the top 10 % of their junior class academically.

Except for final exams and graduation on Saturday, not much else was happening the final week of school.

At the graduation of the class of 2011, New Directions performed I'll Remember You by No Secrets and then sat down in the back of the auditorium to watch the proceedings. Rachel squeezed Finn's arm as she whispered in his ear, "Next year at this time, it'll be us crossing the stage to receive our diplomas."

As the graduates names were called, Finn's mind started to wander. This time next year their run at McKinley would be over. He reign as BMOC and high school quarterback would be over. Glee would be over. The kids that he had gone to school with since kindergarten would be heading in a hundred different directions. Nothing would ever be the same.

Rachel would be heading to New York for four years. Could their relationship endure months of separation at a time? But the question that he was most worried about was, would Rachel out grow him?

It had been a year since he told Rachel that he loved her for the first time. Had it really been that long? There had been rough times, broken up times, but Finn preferred to remember the good times.

When the class of 2011 graduation proceedings were over, Mr. Schue gathered the group around him and asked them to meet him in the choir room. Finn was delayed by Coach Beiste and was the last to enter the choir room. His face grew bright red when he saw all of his glee team mates already seated and wearing bright yellow rain coats and hats. In Finn's usual chair was a box of condoms with a duck wearing a raincoat sticker placed over the label. Finn knew immediately who had set this up.

"Puck, couldn't you have at least bought the right size?" Finn joked with Puck.

"That's the smallest size rain coats, I mean condoms, that the drug store had," Puck yelled back at him holding up his arms in defense. Finn laughed as he threw the box of condoms at Puck nailing him squarely.

Everyone had a good laugh at Finn's expense before Mr. Schue told them that they had been invited to perform at Lima's Summer Concert in the Park Series. They would be performing at the Fourth of July festivities and he hoped that they could all make it. He would be in touch with the details. With that their teacher wished them a great summer and sent them on their way.

As everyone was saying goodbye, Quinn approached Rachel and handed her a small gift bag. "I know that you'll probably be seeing Beth on Monday since it's her first birthday. Would you ask Shelby if it's alright for her to have this? If not now, maybe in the future. It's a locket with two pictures in it, one on me and one of Puck."

Before Rachel could respond, Quinn was gone. Rachel pulled the locket out of the gift bag and saw that it was engraved, "We will always love you," on the back and Beth's name engraved on the front.

"Did you see what Quinn gave me for Beth," Rachel asked Finn. "They have an open adoption; I wish that at least Quinn would come to Beth's birthday party. Will you be able to make it?"

"No, I'm going to start my new summer job on Monday, so I won't be able to come," Finn answered.

"Aren't you working at Sheets and Things?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not working there anymore. With the publicity that I've been getting lately as the singing quarterback, Allen County Park and Recreation offered a job to me with their summer youth program. I'll be working nine to five Monday through Friday and every other Saturday. I can also pick up some extra cash officiating at games or at swim meets in the evening or on the weekends."

"I'm going to be busy too. While I was helping Shelby set up for Beth's birthday party, she asked me if I'd like to earn some extra money babysitting. She has decided to work on her masters degree at the Lima campus of Ohio State. That won't leave much time for us to see each other," Rachel sighed.

"We'll have the evenings and Sundays unless I pick up some extra hours working the baseball games and stuff. I have to start putting money in the bank to help pay for college and air fare to New York," Finn sighed.

"New York?" Rachel asked confused.

"When you go off the Juilliard, I'm going to come and see you every chance that I get and my old truck won't make it."

"Finn it's over a year before I go off to college, but I do respect your decision to be financially responsible. It's just that I'm never going to see you unless I take a class from the Park and Rec or come watch a game."

"I can teach you to swim if you don't mind being in a class with pre-schoolers."

"I already know how to swim, but I can come and work on my tan and watch you teach swim lessons. I just love seeing you in a pair swim trunks," Rachel smiled at him.

Finn did start his new job bright and early Monday morning. Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor training was at seven AM followed by teaching basketball techniques to a group of middle school kids. The girls immediately loved him; the boys want to be like him, the high school jock. They'd all seen him on television the week before.

Summer vacation was just starting and already Rachel missed Finn. He had to be at Park and Rec. at seven AM until he passed his life guard and swimming instructor certification.

By nine o'clock the kids who had signed up for summer classes began filing in. His day was filled with basketball, football, baseball, and volley ball coaching or officiating at games. By the time he left work at five he was exhausted, but he enjoyed working with the kids so much. It sure beat folding towels and dusting at Sheets and Things.

The first afternoon that both Finn and Rachel had off together, they spent it in the hammock on Rachel's back patio. Finn mostly slept while Rachel kept the hammock slowing swinging back and forth. Even though Finn was sleeping, Rachel just enjoyed laying there next to him watching him and studying his tanned features.

She knew that Finn had gotten his kindness and brown eyes from his mother, but she wondered about Finn's father. For Finn to be so tall, his father must have been tall too. The dimples and freckles must have come from his dad as well.

Finn finally woke up and stretched nearly knocking Rachel out of the hammock.

"I'm sorry Rachel. What time is it? I didn't mean to sleep our entire afternoon away," Finn said pulling her closer to him.

"It's okay, I've enjoyed watching you sleep and rocking the hammock. You looked like you could of used a few hours of sleep," Rachel said wiping the drool from his chin.

"Believe me, I needed the extra sleep, but I had the best dream. I dreamed that you and I and some of our friends went up to Lake Erie and went camping. Does that sound like something that you would like to do?" Finn asked.

"I've never been camping," Rachel confessed. "I've never seen the need to give up a bed and a bathroom to sleep out side. I'm afraid of bears, mountain lions, snakes, spiders….."

Before Rachel could name every creature that was on Noah's Arc Finn interrupted her.

"Rachel, it's really a lot of fun. We could ask Puck, Sam, and Artie to go with us. We could sit around the fire at night and roast marshmallows and sing campfire songs. During the day we could go hiking, fishing, and swimming," Finn said smiling.

"What about the girls?" Rachel asked.

"We can invite them too, but I don't know about Quinn. She and Sam aren't speaking to each other since the fiasco at prom," Finn answered.

"I'll think about it," Rachel answered mulling the idea.

"I'm off next weekend, we could camp out in your back yard as a start," Finn offered. "You'd have a bathroom close by and that big fence that you have would keep away all of the lions, and tigers, and bears," Finn said mocking her.

"There are no lions, and tigers, and bears in Lima, Ohio," Rachel said elbowing him in the ribs. "However we do have dogs and cats in the neighborhood and an occasional skunk or raccoon."

"A skunk is a good enough reason to have a fence," laughed Finn.

"I'll ask my dads if it's okay. Dad just had an outdoor fireplace built. We could roast marshmallows there. I'll fix hors d'oeuvres, canapés and virgin cosmos. Do you think anyone would like cucumber sandwiches?"

"Rachel, you really never have been camping have you?" Finn smiled. "Camping is about hotdogs and bug juice. I like to fix a big pot of chili over the fire. It's not a garden party with tents and sleeping bags."

"No, I really have never been camping unless you count staying at a two star hotel. But what exactly is bug juice?"

"It's day old Kool-Aid that has gotten warm and watered down from the melted ice. Ants always get in it. It sounds gross, but its part of the camping experience."

"I'll talk to my dads about camping in our back yard, but I'm going to get lots of bottled water. There's no way that I'm drinking bug juice."

Monday morning came too quickly and Finn was out the door early. One more week of life guard training and he would be certified and could get at least one extra hour of sleep. Today's routine was the same as last weeks. Basket ball before lunch, volley ball after lunch and pee-wee football drills before he could go home at five.

Today was different. One of the baseball coaches asked if he could come back at seven and pitch for one of the coach pitch teams. Finn had made plans with Rachel but called her to cancel them.

Finn had never pitched for coach pitch baseball before, but he remembered playing coach pitch when he was a kid. He would be filling in for the Cardinals team that was made up of five and six year old boys and girls. It was an odd make up of kids, but all of the coach pitch teams were.

Pitching underhanded for five and six year olds was difficult for someone as tall as Finn at first. The parents in the stands were the first to let him know about it. After one or two innings, Finn got the hang of it and was hitting the strike zone consistently.

When the game was over Finn was surrounded by his winning team. Scanning the bleachers, he soon spotted his biggest fans. Rachel, Burt, Kurt, and Carole were there rooting his team on.

"I never knew that you were a three sport jock," Burt said rubbing Finn's wet hair.

"I didn't either," Finn said leaning in to give Rachel a quick sweaty kiss. "What made you decide to come?"

"When you cancelled out date, I thought that I'd ask Carole if she and Burt would like to take in a coach pitch game in the park."

"Thanks for coming. When I took this job, I never thought that I would be filling in for coach pitch, but these kids are awesome. They don't take themselves or the game too seriously."

Rachel went home with the Hudson/Hummel clan and talked with Carole while Finn took a shower. When he came out, Rachel hugged him and inhaled deeply. "Gosh you smell good," she said.

"You don't like the smelly, dirty version of me?" Finn asked.

"I like all versions of you, but this one is my favorite," Rachel smiled.

"Did you ask your dads about us camping out in your back this weekend yard?" Finn asked changing the subject.

"Yes, they're all for it, in fact they're going to join us." Rachel said nodding her head. "They haven't said anything, but I think they know about my little party a few weeks ago."

"How could they know?" Kurt asked. "I helped you clean up."

"I think one of the neighbors must have told them about all of the cars in the drive way," Rachel confessed. "Anyway Dad's going to get his outdoor kitchen out and make brats and kebobs for you guys, and Daddy wants to teach everyone how to limbo. The girls will have their tents on one side of the yard, and the guys will be on the other side."

"I'm glad that Hiram and Leroy are being responsible parents," Carole offered.

Finn pulled Rachel into the kitchen and whispered in her ear, "Your dads are going to throw a fine party, but before this summer is over I'm going to teach you all about camping in the woods."

But what will we do for baths in the woods?" Rachel asked.

"It's called skinny dipping," Finn whispered into her ear with a smile.

Saturday came and Finn, Kurt, and Blaine were at Rachel's house early to help set up. Her fathers had bought plenty of foot and soft drinks. Rachel was outside hanging strings of patio lights while the boys set up tents. Puck soon arrived with a load of firewood for the outdoor fireplace.

All of the Glee kids except for Quinn began showing up around sunset. Quinn said that she really wasn't the outdoorsy type, but everyone knew it was because both Sam and Finn would be there. She had betrayed Sam and made a fool of herself with Finn.

Hiram took charge of his stainless steel outdoor kitchen and soon had hot dogs, hamburgers, brats, and kebobs grilling. Leroy thought that it was a sin that the kids hadn't been exposed to the limbo and proceeded to lead the line dancing to a Jamaican beat.

"Your dads really know how to throw a party," Blaine said to Rachel. "They're having as good a time as we are."

"I think that they found out about my party a few weeks ago, and decided to be here tonight. This is my first co-ed camping party sleepover."

"I think that this is everyone's first co-ed camping party sleep over," Blaine smiled back.

The party had been going on for about two hours when the police showed up. The same neighbors who had threatened to sue the Berry's for Rachel's singing had called them.

When the police saw that the party was chaperoned by not one but two lawyers, they asked them to turn down the volume and left.

Puck had a good fire going so everyone decided it was time to sit around the fire roast marshmallows and begin the ghost stories.

Rachel started off the ghost stories with a story about Civil War Rebel and Union soldiers who were killed and left unburied in the Ohio area but rose on moonless nights to refight the battles that they had died in.

Puck was the next to entertain the group with ghost stories surrounding the Moonville, Ohio abandoned train tunnel and the nearby train trestle. Brittany and Santana most enjoyed the part about the young woman who was killed by a train while crossing the trestle at night. She had slipped away to meet her secret lover but her foot had become wedged between the railroad ties. The train engineer saw her but couldn't stop the train in time.

Puck's story also included the tale of the brakeman who was crushed under a train in the tunnel. Many times since then a ghostly figure carrying a brakeman's red lantern had been seen at the far end of the tunnel.

Artie was next and his ghost story was about the ghost train of Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln had been shot and later died on April 16, 1865. After an elaborate funeral in Washington DC, a funeral train carrying his body left Washington on April 21, 1865 on a 1,700 round-about journey to Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois.

A large portrait of Lincoln was mounted on the front of the locomotive with red, white, and blue buntings on the side. The funeral car was draped in black crepe and bore not only Lincoln's open coffin, but the coffin of Lincoln's exhumed son Willie who had died earlier.

The train's route crossed most of Ohio including stops in Cleveland on its way to another stop in Columbus. Millions of people lined the tracks to get a glimpse of the slow moving train as it passed before it reached its final destination in Springfield on May 3, 1865.

Artie continue telling the story of how a ghost train started appearing on the same tracks about a year after Lincoln's death. People reported seeing a large blue-white light approach them on the tracks at night. Even on the coldest night, the air surrounding the approaching train would become warm. The locomotive was manned by skeletons in train engineer's clothing. The train car carrying the body of Lincoln was guarded by ghostly figures dressed in Union blue uniforms holding their rifles with fixed bayonets at their side.

When the ghost train had passed the on lookers, their watches had been stopped for six minutes and their hair and clothes were saturated with the smell of coal smoke coming from the train's steam engine. The train had been sighted many times over the years, but always during the last two weeks of April.

When Artie concluded his ghost story, the girls decided that it was time for bed. They had heard enough of the Ohio area ghost stories, and the boys were enjoying frightening them too much.

Hiram and Leroy delegated the girls to one side of the yard and the boys to the other side. They slept in a tent in the middle of the yard like guard dogs keeping the teens apart.

Later that night Rachel got up to go to the bathroom, and when she returned she found Brittany sitting beside what was left of their campfire.

"Brittany, why are you up? Can't you sleep?" Rachel asked.

"Oh I can sleep, I'm just listening for the train," Brittany answered.

"What train? The nearest railroad tracks are miles from here," Rachel told her.

"I'm listening for Abraham Lincoln's train. I want to ask him about chopping down the cherry tree and his wooden teeth," Brittany said with the most assured look on her face.

"Brittany, you've got Lincoln mixed with up with some false stories about George Washington. Abraham Lincoln has been dead for over a hundred years, and there're no train tracks for miles," Rachel said in total disbelief.

"If the Polar Express train can go anywhere without tracks, so can Abraham Lincoln's train. He's a president you know." Brittany answered unmoved by what Rachel was saying.

"Come on Brittany," Rachel said, pulling Brittany by the arm. "We've got to find Artie and let him explain Lincoln's ghost train to you. I think he's sharing the blue tent with Finn."

Rachel went over to Finn's blue tent, unzipped the tent flap and whispered, "Finn, Finn, is Artie in here with you?"

"Yeah, he's in here. Did you get cold and want to snuggle with me?" Finn whispered back half asleep.

"No, I need Artie to explain to Brittany about the ghost train and that Lincoln didn't cut down a cherry tree and that he didn't have wooden teeth," Rachel said pulling Brittany into the boy's tent behind her.

"Do you mean Lincoln didn't have wooden teeth?" Finn said rubbing his eyes.

"Not you too," Rachel whispered to Finn. "The two of you must have been in the same history class together."

"I'm just kidding," Finn said pulling Rachel to him.

"Oh no you don't, if my dads catch me in here they'll never trust me again," Rachel whispered pulling out of his grasp.

The next morning the boys awoke to a pouring rain. Everything in their campsite was soaked. Looking for the girls the boys couldn't find them. As soon as the rain has started, the girls plus Hiram, Leroy, Kurt and Blaine had retreated into the Berry house and were all asleep in the warm dry house

"You wussed out on me," Finn said when he finally found Rachel sharing her queen size bed with Mercedes.

"I may not have had a mom, but my two dads didn't raise a fool," Rachel said giving Finn a quick good morning peck on the lips. "A warm dry bed trumps a wet tent anytime."

-/-

Until the next chapter, thank you for the reviews. I really appreciate them, Whistler Nights.