Hello friends. I'm a sucker for public demand and decided to continue this story.
All mistakes in this installment are my own. See previous disclaimers about non-ownership of Glee.
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Rachel stood in front of her open locker, trying to decide which books she needed to bring home for the weekend. She was in the middle of pondering whether getting a jump on her world history research paper was a realistic possibility when she felt a tap on her left shoulder.
She looked up in that direction, but no one was there.
Confused, she turned to her right only to smack into a tall, broad-chested figure. She barely had time to gasp in surprise before a soft pair of lips swooped down to press against her own. Long calloused fingers came up to touch her cheeks while a pliant tongue slipped into her mouth, swirling around in a lazy circle. Rachel slackened her jaw to give it better access, giggling when she felt teeth nipping lightly at her lower lip.
"Finn..." she whined playfully. "You startled me."
"Aww, I'm sorry," he offered, his hands settling at her hips while he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Can you ever forgive me?"
Rachel wrinkled her brow as though she was legitimately pondering the hypothetical question.
"Rach!" Finn protested, tickling her as a measure of coercion.
"Okay, okay!" she squealed, her small hands trying in vain to halt his attack. Thankfully, he relented, and when Rachel caught her breath he was beaming down at her with a half-smirk.
"You ready?" he asked then.
"Yep!" she said, quickly throwing the last of her books into her bag. After zipping it closed she slung it over her shoulder and linked her arm with Finn's so they could begin their walk home.
It was a Friday afternoon, October of sophomore year. Rachel had stayed after school for a meeting with Mr. Schuester, the Spanish-teacher-plus-music-advisor, about the status of various performing arts extra-curricular activities. The football team had a game scheduled for following day, which meant that in lieu of a full practice they'd just concluded a short cardio workout.
"You're coming to the game tomorrow, right?" Finn asked hurriedly. "I'm not guaranteed to play, but if we beat Van Wert we clinch a playoff spot."
"Relax, I will be there," Rachel assured, soothingly. Finn was back-up to senior quarterback Kevin Monahan, who'd played every snap so far that season. Occasionally their new coach, an imposing woman named Beiste, put Finn in at wide-out just to get him some time on the field.
"Cool," Finn said, smiling and squeezing her hand. "How was your meeting?"
"Fine," Rachel sighed. "Plans are coming along for the fall recital. Mr. Schue is on board with staging a spring musical, but he's worried that Principal Figgins will disapprove of West Side Story because of its 'gang violence overtones.' Evidently it doesn't matter to anyone that I was born to play Maria," she explained with embellishment.
Finn chuckled at her dramatics. "Well, even if it's not this year, someday you'll play Maria and it'll be awesome."
Rachel blushed, beaming up at him as they continued the walk through their quiet neighborhood, crunching through unswept fallen leaves until they reached Rachel's house.
Once they arrived Rachel made a beeline for the bathroom (she's always had a notoriously small bladder) while Finn headed for the kitchen. Rachel laughed when she found him a minutes later, half a muffin in his mouth and juggling a stack of chocolate chip cookies, two apples, and a bottle of water. They climbed the stairs to her bedroom, where Finn plopped the snacks on her nightstand before striding to her stack of DVDs.
"It's my turn to pick, right?" he asked, wrinkling his brow.
"Yes, it is," Rachel answered in a resigned tone, situating herself amongst her big fluffy pink pillows. Finn grinned in victory and reached for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy before joining her on the bed.
The scenario wasn't all that different from when they were little kids, hanging out at each other's houses and trying to educate one another on their respective interests.
But they most certainly were not little kids anymore, Rachel was reminded when Finn stretched his long body out beside her and rested his head on her shoulder.
As had become customary over the year they'd been dating, the movie was largely a pretext for other activities. No sooner had the Channel 4 news team been introduced than Finn was looking up at her instead of at the screen, toying with the ends of her hair. Then it was only a matter of moments until he'd shifted upwards on the bed and fused their lips together.
Rachel would never be sure why she tried to deny her feelings for Finn all those months ago, because kissing him felt like the most natural thing in the world. The fact that they knew each other backwards and forwards was reflected in the way they engaged one another physically – eyes open and eager, kisses unabashedly passionate yet still tinged with a certain innocence of youth, hands wandering cautiously but curiously over rumpled clothing.
They made sure their activities were finished by 6:45, since Rachel's dads usually arrived home by 7. Sure enough, when Hiram and Leroy ascended the stairs of their home they found their daughter and her best-friend-turned-boyfriend fully clothed and lounging casually in front of the movie.
Rachel put the movie on pause as her parents perched on the edge of the bed, eagerly asking her and Finn about their day at school.
"Well, I think Leroy is going to make his famous rigatoni alla vodka for dinner," Hiram said with a flourish, affectionately touching his husband's shoulder. "Finn, I assume you'll be joining us?" he added as they stood.
As if on cue, Finn's stomach growled, sending all three Berrys into muffled giggles. "Uh, I guess that's a yes," the teenager answered, blushing.
"No need to be embarrassed," Leroy assured him with a pat to the knee. "I'll make you an extra portion." He winked before following Hiram out of the room.
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"... and you know how much I believe in you guys, so let's go get 'em!" Coach Beiste concluded her pre-game speech before Monahan pulled everyone into a huddle. He added to her encouragement before sending up a "Go Titans!" cheer and leading the team out of the room and onto the field.
Finn felt energized, refreshed from his quiet afternoon with Rachel and nutritious meal courtesy of her dads. He considered himself pretty lucky that his girlfriend's parents genuinely liked him and enjoyed feedings him, but it also par for the course considering how long he and Rachel were neighbors and friends before their relationship turned romantic.
Looking up, he found Rachel in the stands next to her friend Mercedes, huddled up in her winter coat and hat. When he caught her eye she waved, jumping up and down and cheering a little louder than before. Seeing her there supporting him – well, the school and the team, but mostly him – made his heart leap in his chest. Sure she'd be there anyway if they were still just friends, but the fact that she was now his girl made it that much more awesome.
Finn had gotten used to his role on the team the past two seasons. During play he walked the sidelines, shouting encouragement to his teammates on the field and helping Coach Beiste with the playbook. He usually paced, mostly out of habit but also to keep himself loose and ready in case Coach decided to put him in for a play.
The game got off to a slow start, with each team's defense preventing any scoring. Toward the end of the first half, McKinley lined up with the ball at Van Wert's 30-yard line. When play resumed, a defensive tackle who looked like he was 23 and on steroids managed to fake out center Dave Karofsky and busted full speed into Monahan.
Finn cringed as his teammate hit the ground, completely flattened.
Thankfully Monahan was able to get up, but he limped through the next play, clearly favoring his left ankle. When they went into the locker room for halftime, Beiste told the senior – as gently as she was able – that she needed to sit him, for his own sake.
"Hudson!" she barked, snapping back into her usual forceful mode and turning towards Finn. "You're up."
Leading his teammates out of the room for the second half, Finn felt totally exhilarated. In that moment he finally understood what Rachel meant when she talked about how she feels before her performances.
Looking up into the stands before his first play and seeing her smiling face made it that much better.
After the game, in which he led the team to a thrilling victory and clinched playoff berth, he pointed to her so that everyone could see who inspired him the most.
That night, Finn founds himself the center of attention at Santana's celebratory post-game party. Upperclassmen teammates who'd barely given him the time of day were slapping him on the back and bringing him beers. He basically held court in the Lopez living room, politely accepting compliments while clutching Rachel to tightly to his side.
The night air was crisp and cool when they walked home from the party, still basking in the glow of the afternoon's success.
"...and then on the last play, my brain was just, like, on autopilot. I saw the snap, Azimio handed me the ball, and I just tossed it to Puck in the end zone without even thinking!"
"It was certainly impressive," Rachel said cheerfully, swinging their intertwined hands as they turned up the walkway to her house.
When they reached the front porch he turned to face his girlfriend, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face before leaning in to kiss her. The excitement of the day flowed through him and he quickly escalated the kiss from soft and sweet to heated and lusty.
"Finn..." Rachel sighed, and the back of his neck burned at the sound of her airy voice saying his name. After giving her a moment to catch her breath he leaned back in, resuming their activities with continued fervor.
"Mmm..." Rachel breathed, curtailing the kiss. "I really do need to go inside."
"Come on, Rach," he pleaded, his voice husky with need. "Your dads love me, and they trust us."
"Yes, and I'd like to keep it that way by respecting their rules and being inside – alone – by curfew," she explained, toying with the collar of his jacket. "I'll see you tomorrow for our usual homework date?"
"Uh, yeah, but I may be a little late. Puck and I were invited to play video games with the seniors at 12 so we probably won't be done by 3."
"Oh," Rachel said, clearly disappointed. "Well, just text me I guess. I'll be here."
"Okay," Finn agreed. "Good night."
He leaned in for one more kiss but his lips merely brushed her cheek as she turned and slipped inside her house.
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"Bye Rach! Have a good rehearsal!" Finn exclaimed enthusiastically, kissing her before peeling off towards the gym and leaving her standing at her locker.
Rachel sighed and shook her head. In the span of three days, her boyfriend had gone from a soft-spoken, anonymous underclassman bench player to the starting quarterback and toast of McKinley. She was extraordinarily happy for him; the game had been a remarkable display of his athleticism and leadership, and her heart swelled to the size of a volleyball when Finn pointed to her during the on-field post-game celebration.
She closed her locker and proceeded to the choir room, excited to be meeting up with her likeminded music friends. When she got there, Mercedes and Tina were gathered with Kurt in front of his laptop, peering intently at whatever was on the screen.
"What are you looking at?" she asked, setting her bag down on one of the nearby chairs. They had been planning on rehearsing their solos for the fall recital.
"Reviewing the National Show Choir Board registration guidelines," Kurt answered, not looking up.
Rachel's brow wrinkled in curiosity. "Why? Didn't the deadline for registration lapse two weeks ago?"
"It's been extended due to re-re-redistricting," Tina explained through her stutter.
"And Principal Figgins found out that Coach Sylvester has been using the Cheerios' expense account to pay for her live-in maid. So he's recouped those funds and awarded them to Mr. Schue to fund a glee club," Mercedes went on.
"That's great!" Rachel's face lit up with up excitement before falling again. "But don't we need 12 members to compete? There are still only five of us..."
Kurt and Mercedes exchanged a serious look before looking at Artie.
"We were hoping that's where you could come in," he said, rolling over to the small group from the other side of the room.
"Me? What am I supposed to... oh." Rachel stopped thinking out loud when she realized what they were getting at. "You want me to ask Finn. And have him ask his friends."
"I think it's a great plan, personally," Mercedes began. "Remember when we were hanging out in the park last weekend? A Journey song came on the radio and Finn busted right into it. Boy can sing!"
"Also, as much as it pains me to suggest involving him, that idiot Puckerman plays the guitar so he most likely has some singing ability," Kurt added flippantly.
"And during Saturday's game I saw Mike Chang on the sidelines, dancing along with one of the Cheerios' routines," Artie added.
"The ch-ch-Cheerios!" Tina exclaimed suddenly. "M-m-maybe the guys can c-convince some of them to join, too!"
Rachel slumped in her seat, bring a hand to her forehead.
"What's wrong? Some of the jazz band guys agreed to sway in the background as a last resort, if we can't get enough people," Artie said.
"We really only need warm bodies. The five of us here can handle the heavy lifting, vocally, and we expect you to be a big part of that, girl," Mercedes added, shifting her chair closer to Rachel's and throwing an arm over her shoulder in a show of comfort. "Aren't you excited?"
"You guys, I appreciate your confidence in me and your enthusiasm in fielding a competitive glee club. But I'm not sure I can convince Finn to join, let alone recruit his friends. He's the starting quarterback now, so he's going to have more responsibility and probably won't be able to spare the time."
Artie scoffed. "He's the starting quarterback for the McKinley Titans, not the OSU Buckeyes or Cincinnati Bengals, right?"
"Who?" Kurt asked, earning stares from the group.
"Artie's right," Mercedes said then. "We all balance our music stuff with other extra curricular activities, and those guys can do the same. Please just ask Finn about it and go from there."
"P-please, Rachel!" Tina pleaded. "It's the only chance we have."
"All right, all right," Rachel agreed, to the excitement of her friends. "But no promises. Finn is a self-determining individual and I can't force him to do anything."
"Mmm, but you can definitely provide some incentives, if you know what I'm sayin'..." Artie drawled salaciously, earning eye-rolls from the others.
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The next morning, Rachel was brushing her teeth when she got a text from Finn.
{ We have a ride 2 school! C u soon babe. }
Twenty minutes later, she found herself in the backseat of Brad Miller's car, squished between Finn and Noah. Brad's girlfriend, a junior cheerleader named Alyssa, was in the front passenger seat.
"Thanks for the lift, man," Finn said to Brad once they had pulled out of Rachel's driveway and set off on their way to school.
"Not a problem. Our new star quarterback and receiver shouldn't have to walk."
"Ehh, I don't mind the walk since I usually have good company," Finn said, tightening his arm around Rachel's shoulder and grinning at her sweetly.
"Awww..." Alyssa squealed, turning to smile at the underclassman couple.
"If Puckerman gets a girlfriend she'll need to ride on the roof," Brad quipped after a moment.
"Not going to be a problem," Puck snickered. "The Puckerone can't be tied down to any one woman. Just ask Santana and Brittany about what happened at the party on Saturday," he added, making a lewd gesture with his tongue.
Rachel rolled her eyes as the conversation devolved into further gossip about what transpired at the party.
She had been hoping to raise the issue of the Glee club with Finn during their walk to school, but she didn't feel prepared to bring it up in mixed company.
Lunch was also out. Whereas she and Finn used to eat lunch by themselves, his new status had garnered them an invitation to the upperclassmen jock table. Much like at Santana's party, and during the morning car ride, she felt like an afterthought, tucked alongside Finn with nothing to add to the proceedings. The jocks weren't affirmatively mean to her, but they didn't engage her in conversation as they did the cheerleaders or female athletes... and the cheerleaders and female athletes were similarly ignorant of her presence. Although she was happy to support her boyfriend, she didn't enjoy being a mere accessory.
But it's something she needed to get used to, she realized. Ryan Monahan's ankle injury would keep him off the field for at least a month, meaning that Finn would likely remain the starting quarterback through the playoffs. And, of course, he was expected to continue the job the following year as a junior.
She hoped that they could both adjust to the new circumstances afforded by his success.
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Finn sat at his mother's dining room table, trying as hard as he could to concentrate on his algebra homework.
"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked suddenly, looking up from her world history notes.
"Sure," Finn said, happy for the distraction as well as the opportunity to listen to whatever his lovely girlfriend had to say.
"Well, you may have heard that Figgins recouped some funds from the Cheerios and directed them towards after-school music activities," she began, "and we've decided to try to field a competitive glee club."
"That's great, Rach!" Finn said, excited for her. "I'm sure you'll get all the solos."
"That's the hope," she said, blushing. "But there's more."
"Okay..."
"Um, well, we need more people to join to be eligible for competitions, and Mercedes heard you sing that time a few weeks ago. So, she suggested that maybe you could do it with us. And ask some of your friends to join, too." She exhaled, smiling hopefully.
Finn blew out an uneasy breath, thinking over what she just said. "I don't know, Rach..."
Her face fell. "I know it would be a bit of a time commitment, but the football season will only go on for a few more weeks even if you go all the way to the conference finals. So you and Noah and the other guys could rehearse sparsely until your season ends, and join us full-time after that."
"That's a good plan, but... I'm the starting QB now. That comes with certain... expectations."
Rachel's brow knitted, and not in the good way like when she got a super fun idea. "What does that mean?!"
"Just that I can't join something like glee club. It's nothing against you or your friends, I like them a lot, but... I mean how would that look? What would people think?!"
Finn winced as Rachel huffed and crossed her arms.
"What would they think?!" she repeated. "They'd think that you were expanding your horizons, engaging in artistic expression, or at the very least supporting your girlfriend's endeavors," she said angrily, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.
"I can support you in other ways! It's not like you joined the football team with me!" Finn stammered, groping for any logic seemingly on his side.
"I wish I could have," Rachel snickered. "It'd be better than the current circumstance in which my role of 'supporting' you consists of shouting your name in the freezing cold and accompanying you to parties where I can force myself to laugh at Noah's fart jokes!"
"Huh?" Finn couldn't keep up with what was happening.
"I expected you to balk at the idea about the time commitment," Rachel said as she quickly gathered her things. "But I didn't expect you to be so concerned about how joining glee club might 'look.' It's like you won one football game and became a completely different person."
The disappointment in her eyes cut right through him and he reached for her, trying to gain some kind of a handle on the situation. "Rach, I—"
"Tell your mom thanks for dinner," she said through a tearful scowl before she pulled away, walking swiftly out of the room and out the front door.
Carole came into the room carrying a basket of laundry just as Rachel was making her dramatic exit.
"What happened here?" she asked.
"Ugh, I screwed up, Mom!" Finn groaned, rubbing his temples.
"Yeah, I can see that," Carole said with a raised eyebrow, letting her sarcasm hang in the air for a beat. Then she sat down at the table and patted her son's knee. "Let's find a way to fix it, hmm?"
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"You're all set," Artie said discretely, adding a wink as he rolled past Finn's locker two days later.
Rachel wasn't answering his calls or texts, so he had to use other channels to make sure she met him in the auditorium that afternoon.
Confident that Artie had convinced her to show up, Finn hurried to the stage. There, he connected an amplifier, microphone, and backing CD in the same way Artie had shown him earlier. Then he paced nervously, the minutes feeling like hours until he heard footsteps.
"What's going on, Finn?" Rachel asked sternly as she walked down one of the aisles, stopping when she reached the front of the seating area.
"Please sit for a minute? I figured this was the best way to explain myself."
Rachel squinted curiously when she noticed the microphone in his hand. After a beat, she sighed and sat down in the first row.
Finn hit "PLAY" on the stereo, and the music started. After the intro, he started to sing.
Hope dangles on a string like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out, the shine of it has caught my eye
And roped me in, so mesmerizing and so hypnotizing
I am captivated, I am
Vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong, I am right
I swear I'm right, swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore, you saw yourself
So clear like the diamond in your ring, cut to mirror your intention
Over sized and overwhelmed, the shine of which has caught my eye
And rendered me so isolated and so motivated
I am certain now that I am
Vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong, I am right
I swear I'm right, swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore, you saw yourself
So turn up the corners of your lips
Part them and feel my finger tips
Trace the moment, fall forever
Defense is paper thin
Just one touch and I'll be in
Too deep now to ever swim against the current
So let me slip away, so let me slip away
So let me slip away, so let me slip against the current
So let me slip away, so let me slip away
So let me slip away, so let me slip away
Vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong, I am right
I swear I'm right, swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore, you saw yourself
Slight hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
When he finished, she stood from her seat with a wistful expression on her face. "Finn, you—"
"No, let me go first," he insisted, hopping down off the stage and approaching her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. You're right that the time commitment of both football and glee is what makes me nervous... but it's more than that. My dedication to the team might be questioned if I split my time between that and glee club. And it could mean losing the starting QB job for next year. That's also why I've been trying to hang out with the guys a lot, just so they get to know me a little better and think of me as a leader."
"I owe you an apology as well. I know you're under a lot of pressure with the playoffs coming up and Ryan being injured. I didn't realize that you were also worried about next year, but that makes a lot of sense."
Finn managed a half-smile, reaching out to hold her hand. "Well, I'm mostly sorry that this football stuff has changed our relationship or the way you think of me. I guess I don't say it enough, but you support me in so many ways. All of the stuff you've told me about performing helped me focus during the game last weekend, and just knowing you were there gave me the confidence to do my best. I can't even imagine what I'd do without you." He swallowed, trying to fight against the tightening in the back of his throat.
Rachel blinked and leaned forward to kiss him. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm here, and happy to support you however I can." She affectionately cupped his cheek with her free hand.
Finn felt his heart swell as he leaned his face into her palm, snaking his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him. "And I am happy to return the favor by joining glee club," he said matter-of-factly.
"What?!" Rachel exclaimed, her eyes lighting up before falling again. "Are you sure?"
He exhaled. "Yeah. It's something I wanna do. When we were hanging out in the park I was just singing for fun, but if you and Mercedes think I'm good at it, why not give it a try?"
"But what about football?" Rachel asked, her eyebrow cocked slightly. Finn felt her hands playing nervously with the back hem of his polo shirt.
"I talked to Coach Beiste, and she said she'd never hold it against a player if he wanted to do other school-related activities. I still need to go to practices and workouts so it'd be helpful if most glee rehearsals aren't at the same time, but it's something we can work out."
Rachel's mouth stretched into a wide smile and she clapped her hands excitedly before kissing him again.
"Also, you could've said something sooner about being uncomfortable around the guys. I know they're really gross sometimes, but they're harmless." He paused. "You'll have plenty of time to talk to Mike and Puck pretty soon. I convinced them to join glee also."
"Finn! That's amazing! I mean, we'll need to hold an informal audition process to make sure that their talent comports with the goals of the group, but I'm sure they'll be more than adequate," she explained, threading her fingers through his while they started towards the exit. "It means so much that you even asked them. Really."
Finn squeezed her hand gently. "Anything for you, babe. Really."
She smiled up at him, beaming as they left the auditorium.
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I'm really enjoying writing this AU, and I'm planning on at least two more chapters. Your reviews mean the world.
Oh, and the song lyrics are from Dashboard Confessional's "Vindicated."
