UPDATE UPDATE: I was wondering if you guys wanted a one shot series of Finn and Rachel after Pearl Harbor, with him writing letters and all the romance we missed from 1942 to 1945! Tell me if you would like that!
Hope you have tissues . . . .
Pearl Harbor Part 2
i.
Rachel's eyes snap open.
Booms, as loud as gunshots, could be heard from a distance, repeating over and over again. She looks beside her, noticing the scattered bed sheets that Finn recently slept in. Bolting upright, she jumps out of bed, still clattered in her sun dress as she makes her way out of her room.
"Rachel!" Santana exclaims, her eyes wide with fear. She runs up to her, gripping her hand through her own. "What's happening?" she questions, though Santana just shakes her head in confusion. She notices a pack of nurses outside, their fingers pointing, their hands clamped over their months, all huddled on the front lawn. Something's wrong, she knows it. Pulling Santana along with her, she rushes out of the building, anxiety creeping on her as the booms grow louder and louder.
She freezes at what she sees.
Smoke, as thick as clouds, cover their sight line, though Rachel can still make out the fire coming from the ships. Planes are soaring below the horizon, bullets springing from their machines, bombs falling into the water of the harbor. Explosions erupt, causing a physical shake to the island, and she feels Santana's nails dig into her skin as Rachel rests a protective hand over her belly. She knew they would join the war some way, but not like this, not at this price.
"Oh God," a voice gasps from beside her, and she doesn't even have to look to know that it's Quinn. Fingers clutch at hers, and she squeezes them, sending Quinn the comfort that she needs, because she knows that she can't handle this kind of catastrophe.
It's a collaboration of situations, though only one thought comes to mind.
"Finn," she breathes, mostly to herself. Her heart races hurriedly inside her chest, and God she hopes he's already on that plane, safe and away from the destruction here. She shakes her head, and she can't worry about him now, not when there's thousands of lives at risk. She turns to the pack of nurses surrounding her, she knows what Finn would do, she knows what she has to do.
"Everyone to the hospitals now!"
ii.
Finn stares up in shock, his body trembling with panic as bombs explode around him. They're being attacked, the whole island, everyone on it, including him and Puck and Rachel. The thought of her in danger pulls him from his surprise, and he has to warn everyone, he has to get the message out. The planes continue to destroy the ships out on the water, saving him time to bolt from his spot on the campus, rushing towards the main building.
"Everyone!" he screams, his voice drowned out by the sirens and whistles of the planes, "get up! get up!"
He runs down the hallway of the nearest building, roaring warnings and cautions. People begin to stumble out of their rooms in confusion, still asleep in the early hours of the morning. "What's going on?" a young lad, about eighteen, speaks up. Finn shudders, pointing towards the doors leading outside.
"We're being - "
An explosion erupts from the hallway they're in, the force causing rubbles of the brick to shatter at it's contact. Finn drops immediately to the floor, his hands covering his head as chunks of glass and wood fly towards him, hitting anything, anyone in it's way. He can hear the defining sound of the bomb, his ears ringing in the aftermath of it's destruction. His arms are bleeding with ashes, he can already feel it, and he needs to get up, to keep moving before he's stuck in this vulnerable stage of shock.
Lifting his head, he squints his eyes into the hallway just destroyed. Smoke clouds his vision, with a couple of small flames flashing harmlessly. He scans the area, his gaze stopping when he finds the eighteen year old laying back on the floor, his limbs tangled brokenly.
His eyes are closed shut, and Finn knows he's dead.
iii.
"Everybody wake the hell up!"
Mike's booming voice echoes throughout the room of sleeping navy men on the lowest level, his hands shaking the cotton beds. He runs up and down the aisle of the room, smacking every mattress that he passes in an attempt for them to wake. The ship quivers slightly as new bombs continue to explode on the upper deck, and he kicks his foot against the wall in frustration.
He turns towards the men still unconscious in slumber, anger and rage overtaking him as he rattles the beds, throwing men off of their own mattresses. "We're being bombed seamen!" he roars, as men start to finally open their eyes in alarm. He pushes them towards the door to the upper deck, then continuing to wake the rest of them.
"Get up and defend your country!"
iv.
Men begin to use rifles in an attempt to shoot down the planes. It's pointless, and Finn knows they're wasting time as he continues to get everyone out of the main buildings, the main target. He searches the area for anyone who needs help the most, his ears ringing with the repeating noise of the bombs and planes surrounding him.
A cry full of despair and desperation wails around him in the East building, and Finn looks to his left, noticing the only man trapped in rubble and chaos. His legs are covered with ashes and broken piles of brick, his arm waving in the air for Finn to see. He coughs slightly as he runs through the smoke to get to him, heat from nearby fires creating a sheen of sweat. The man has blood splattered over his uniform, his own, he doesn't know. His teeth are missing, his eye is glued shut, and he looks like a broken mess that can't be fixed. Finn is going to try anyways.
"I'm going to get you out of here," he rasps, voice thick with smoke. He begins to lift the piles trapping his legs off of him, but the man shakes his head, stopping him. "No," he hiccups, and blood pours from his mouth. He points to his rifle a couple feet away, curling his finger hinting that he wants it. Finn looks at him confusion though gets up, and retreats the gun back to him.
He doesn't understand what he's doing until he presses the gun against his head -
"No sir - "
- And pulls the trigger.
v.
Rachel runs, fast and anxiously towards the hospital wing in the left building. She analyzes the once peaceful campus, now demolished with fire and smoke, dead and injured. She huddles closer to Quinn beside her, her heart racing too fast to control.
"Move!" Tina screams from behind, and she looks up, her eyes widening at the sight of a plane soaring above them. Bullets come down like hail, hitting spots of concrete surrounding them. A loud shriek of fear rips from Quinn's body, and she pushes Rachel to the side, out of the targeting pathway of the bullets. They hit the side of the main fountain, a piercing pain riding up Rachel's side from the impact.
"We're not going to make it to the hospital," she cries, her arm holding her growing belly. She leans against the edge of the fountain, wiping the blood oozing from her cheek. Quinn grabs her shaking frame, eyes cold and fierce as she stares into him. "Yes we are. I want you to run okay? Stop for nothing until we make it to that hospital. We're going to be fine."
Rachel nods, and continues her pace to the building. She scans the pack of nurses around her, searching for a specific brunette in the crowd.
"Where's Tina?"
Quinn just pushes her forward.
vi.
Screams could be heard at every corner, cries of longing and pain echoing from soldiers who lay broken on the ground. The sun is heavier than ever as Finn builds with anxiety in the lost crowd of men, his uniform and body covered in sweat and dirt. His vision is blurred with blood, and he knows he won't be able to recover from the amount of death he's witnessed.
His eyes carefully scanning for anyone familiar who can help him. The smell of gun powder is forever imprinted on him as he pushes himself through the crowd of panicking men, trying to shoot down the planes with weak weapons. He shakes his head, he knows they need something bigger.
"Finn!"
The voice is low and faint, and it must be close since the island is surrounded with roaring planes. He whips around in the pack of military men, trying to specify who's calling his name. He feels a bloody hand clamper his shoulder, and when he turns, he sighs in relief when he finds himself looking at Puck, bruised but alive.
"You okay?" he asks, and he can see when he talks that his lips are purple and blue. He nods his head, and Puck looks up at the morning sky, the planes circling above them. "Looks you're gonna have to kill some Japs before you get those Nazi's."
Another bomb is dropped a couple yards from them, and Finn pushes Puck further away from the impact. He's shaking slightly, and he knows he's thinking about Quinn and Finn is thinking about Rachel but they just need to focus so he grabs Puck's arms and physically stills him. His eyes wander around them, at the motionless people laying on the concrete, to the continuous attack of the bombs.
"Listen, nothing is going to stop those planes with rifles," his voice increases in volume, and he's practically yelling as the planes swerve around them, "we need to get to those planes, find as many pilots as you can and meet me at the airfield."
Understanding glints in Puck's eyes and he nods in bewilderment. Without another word, Finn begins to make his way through the opening of the crowd. "Wait!" Puck hollers, "where are you going?"
Finn gestures to the destruction ahead of him. "I'm going to help anyone who needs it. I'll meet you there soon."
vi.
People begin to jump off the edge of the Arizona ship, missing bullets as they fall. Some are on fire, some are already shot, and the water looks like a safe haven from standing on the upper deck. Mike tears his eyes away from the swimming men, his breathing rapid as he stares at the blood flowing on the deck. They're outnumbered, by far, and the planes are still continuing their mission even though they've already caused damage.
It's a battlefield, and he wasn't prepared for this type of duty. Men are crying as they witness their friends get killed, there's blood everywhere, bodies everywhere and it's all too real to forget. Fires erupt from areas on the ship, causing a intense wave of heat and burns. His knees are buckling with fatigue, and he's so close to giving up and just closing his eyes for a while.
But he needs to do this, not just for himself, but for his lover. He thinks about Tina, how mad she'll be if he doesn't make it, if he doesn't try. He wants Tina, needs Tina forever, and he'll try to keep fighting, for her.
Before he can take another step forward, he feels multiple bullets rip through his stomach.
And Tina is the last thing he thinks about before he collapses.
vii.
He's already lifted a wooden board from a fallen man when he sees a familiar patch of blonde hair.
"Sam!"
He can't hear, of course he can't, Finn can barely hear himself scream his name. He orders a couple of bystanders to bring the broken man to the hospital wing, and lay him down on an empty cot before running towards his friend. Sam is running in a panic, probably not even knowing where he's going, so Finn grabs his shoulders from behind, spinning him to face him.
There's a thick line of burns leading down his cheek, caused by the flaming fires. It's recent, the scar new and forming. His eyes slightly widen at this development, but Sam shakes his head, his eyes questioning.
"What do you need me to do?"
viii.
Her feet are practically burning when they reach the main square, her breathing rapid and short. The hospital is just a few yards away, and she can make it, for her, and for Finn and for their child. She holds her stomach, hoping her baby is safe in there without any real protection except the barrier of it's mothers skin.
Rachel wipes a sheen of sweat from her face, her hands red and black with blood and dirt. She tries not to sob at the amount of bodies lying in the middle of the square, eyes searching for any survivors, anyone who can help. She stops instantly in her tracks, causing Quinn to stop also since they're holding each other. Nurses run past them, unfazed at their sudden halt. "Rachel," Quinn hisses, but she doesn't care, not when she see's the face that she never thought she'd see again.
Oh, Finn.
Their eyes meet, as if he senses her, and she watches as he closes his eyes in relief until -
A bomb is dropped a few feet away from them, right in front of the nurses ahead. It bounces on the concrete, it's large shape long and thick. Her heart jumps in fear, her eyes squeezed shut in preparation for the explosion that happens next. She can feel Quinn tense next to her, but nothing happens, and the nurses stay still in confusion. It's a dud, isn't it?
"RACHEL!"
Finn's scream is drawn out as it erupts, fire and smoke spewing from it's rupture. Quinn's hand is disconnected from hers as the impact forces them backwards, her head landing harshly on the concrete. Heat fills her, and she can almost smell the blood and death coming from the nurses who were in front of it, their lives quickly vanished. Blood begins to flow from the top of her head, trailing along her cheek. She begins to couch through the smoke, stuck, not knowing what to do as she looks at the destruction around her.
Her vision is blurry, but Rachel can still see the silhouette of someone rushing towards her. His arms are outstretched and she realizes exactly who it is. It's her hero.
"Rachel," Finn breathes, his hands wiping the blood and dirt from her face. She blinks repeatedly, trying to get the dust free from her eyes. "Don't scare me like that," he says, and it sounds like he's close to crying. She nods her head, not being able to speak with her friends dead in front of her. Their loosing, and they all know it.
He presses a kiss to her forehead, and they both look up when they see Sam coming forward with Quinn, Santana, and a few other nurses who survived the impact. It's a good thing they're covered by the smoke, or the planes would start to shoot on them to kill any of the survivors.
Finn helps Rachel up, his hands wrapped around her waist to steady her as she stands. His face is rigid now, and she knows that his inner rage is slowly overtaking him, overpowering him with the need to kill the Japanese. "Sam, find any pilots and get to the airfield. Puck should be there, and I'll meet you in about ten minutes."
Sam nods and Finn then looks at the only nurses left, about ten or more to tend hundreds of injured. He sighs in defeat, and he can't let any more die, not when they are so few left. "I'm getting these girls safely to the hospital," he states.
Then the smoke is gone, and they're targeted when the planes spot them again.
ix.
He finds Blaine on the ground after Finn orders him back to the airfield, the curly haired man covered in thick blood. Puck holds a hand out to him, pulling him up with all the strength he has left. A bomb falls from before them, and Blaine shudders, and that's when Puck notices the rocks in his left eye that's squeezed shut. This guy is going blind.
"We're going to get to the airfield outside of the campus alright? They must have already destroyed the nearest ones." he demands, and Blaine is silent, his good eye focused on something behind him. His mouth puckers open in disbelief, and when Puck turns around, he gaps.
The USS Oklahoma ship, out on the ocean surrounded by scared, swimming seamen, is now tilting. The base of it is swerving upwards, the upper deck of the ship turning to the surface of the water. It's completely rolling over, men desperately trying to hold to railings and ropes as it continues to capsize over the ocean. It soon turns fully over, the bottom of the ship now the top, with men trapped underneath.
"Holy shit."
x.
"Duck!"
He crouches his body over Rachel's, his large frame completely covering hers as bullets create a pathway beside them. His face presses against her hair, his arms wrapped tightly around to hold her arms to her chest. They anxiously wait for the bullets to pass, and Finn holds onto her tightly when he feels a bullet miss his leg, though leaving an instant bruise.
Finn lifts his head when it's over, turning back to look at the pack of nurses behind him. Most of them on the concrete, some getting up, though all of them have fear in their eyes. "Let's go ladies!" he yells, picking Rachel up from the bloody ground. He stares at the women with determination in his eyes, "we're right here!"
He curls his fingers, gesturing for them to follow him as he takes a hold of Rachel's hand, continuing to run through the bloody battlefield. He feels Rachel's fingers close tightly around his, squeezing them sharply as he leads the group safely towards the hospital. He pushes all of them inside, his eyes widening at the slight destruction that occurred to it.
"Go!" he screams, and the nurses automatically start planning, Quinn grabbing the nearest cots and bringing them towards the door. His eyes trail slowly towards Rachel, who's still standing there, her eyes trained on his face. He analyzes her, her sweating forehead, the blood surrounding her skin that might not even be her own. His attention falls further below, to where she rests her hand on her stomach, to where their baby is kept safe in this war.
Finn turns on his heel, because if he keeps staring at her and thinking then he won't be able to will himself to leave. So with one final look, he leaves, not sure if he'll be coming back.
"Finn!"
And she seems to realize that too.
She runs towards him, scared but determined as she launches herself at him, her lips crushing against his. He stumbles back a little at her unexpected force, but his arms soon wrap around her body tightly, pulling her close. It's too short, any kiss of hers is, and when she pulls back, her eyes hazy with doubt, he kisses her again, trying to chase away her fears with his lips.
"Please be careful," she tells him, but he thinks it's an order. He nods his head, that's all he can do without making any promises. She kisses him again. "I love you," she whispers, and God she makes everything so hard not to cry.
Pressing one final kiss to her forehead, he sighs, "I love you."
And then he enters the battlefield again.
xi.
Sam stumbles onto the pavement of the second airfield, his mind still recovering from the amount of destruction he witnessed to the first one. The pilots he found - Sebastian, Karofsky, Joe - all follow him as they reach the clear airfield. Some men surround the planes, checking for any damages. Nothing is destroyed, yet, and when he looks up at the sky to see if any of the planes are coming back, he finds them leaving.
"They'll be back."
Sam turns towards the unexpected voice to find himself looking into the eyes of Puck. He nods knowingly, watching as the planes above the ocean and campus begin to leave as well. "The campus and ships won't be bothered, they've already been hit. Another wave will return, they're goal is to destroy our gravest weapons, and there's about ten of them right here." Puck gestures to the planes, where men are fueling it and preparing them for fight. He shuffles Sam and the rest of them towards the planes, where the men are hurriedly doing their tasks.
"They better come back stronger, because we're prepared to fight back."
xii.
The skies won't be clear for long, he knows that. Another set of planes will come back, and Finn will be ready. He looks at the person running beside him, a captain maybe, trying to get to the airfield to help as well.
He should have heard them coming.
It isn't long before bullets tear through the captain's body, splattering Finn with his blood, and the planes are already back.
xiii.
"I need a damn doctor!"
The clinic is crowded with men full of blood, full of pain. Moans of suffering could be heard at every corner as they continue to pile in, some burnt from fires and smoke. It's a blood bath, the floors are covered in it, the cots are covered in it. Rachel is covered in it.
Her hands are still pressed against the side of a man's neck, blood spluttering from his open skin. Her uniform is getting soaked with red, but it doesn't matter, not with thousands of men dyeing around her. She looks hurriedly to see Dr. Howell running towards her, his brown eyes widening when he see's the damage in the man's throat.
"Plugged artery," he chokes out, and Rachel nods in understanding. She pulls away to get the morphine, but he grabs her wrist, bringing her back. "No, Rachel, I need you to go outside. Organize the crowd, too many people in here are going to die no matter the medication and we can't waste our appliances."
"Dr. Howe - "
"Go."
He practically pushes her towards the open doors, his sweaty palms slipping on her skin. The realization of people's inevitable death hits her hard. People, innocent people with sweethearts and children are going to die. People with promises of safety and vows of coming home. People like Finn.
Rachel stumbles down the steps leading to the main campus, her breathing heavy and rapid with anxiety. She holds tightly onto the railing when she witnesses the impending torment in the crowd's eyes, their broken limbs hanging off of someone carrying them. She rushes towards a pair closest to her, a man holding an injured one, who's head is bubbling with blood.
"He got hit by the Oklahoma as it went down," the friend says, adjusting his body in his arms, "he's going to be okay right?"
Rachel nods repeatedly, brushing back his hair to examine the injury. She pats him on the back and gestures them towards the outside steps. "It's minor, just wait outside until we get through with the men who need it the most, alright?"
Without waiting for a response, she moves to another pair, this time, it's a woman being carried.
"I just found her," he says, breathless, "I don't think she's breathing."
Her face is covered by her hair, and when she feels her wrist, her pulse, it's not beating. A wave of sorrow crashes through Rachel, and she closes her eyes for a moment, because of this girl, this poor girl. Rachel nods, agreeing to his statement. "She's dead."
She flips her hair over.
It's Tina.
xiv.
Finn stumbles onto the pavement of the airfield, heavily breathing from the long stride he just took. His eyes scan the area for Puck or Sam, for anyone who he knows. He spots both of them by one of the planes, working on getting it fueled. He's about to run towards them until -
"They're coming back!"
His heart stops, and he turns around to see another wave, smaller, coming towards them, prepared to destroy. He gulps harshly, rushing towards Puck and Sam as bullets begin to follow his path. He feels one graze his core, and he hiccups, but keeps running, ignores the pain. He watches as Blaine crawls into plane #73, his eyes determined and raging, and maybe they can win after all.
"Finn!" He can see Puck and Sam calling his name, waving for him to hurry past Blaine so he could fly. He tries, running as fast as he can but it's not enough. It's never enough.
Before Blaine can even pull out, a bomb explodes the plane he's in, destroying his life and the structure. Finn is flown backwards, along with many other people and chunks. His head cracks against the concrete as he lands on his back brokenly. He feels his stomach feeling pressed on, and when he opens his eyes, he finds himself trapped between the concrete and a piece of the demolished plane's wing.
Fuck.
"Get up! Get up!"
Finn struggles to lift the part from his body, already weak and exhausted from the days events. He tries, so hard, and he just feels like surrendering, like laying here and waiting for death to come. But then he remembers Rachel, and how selfish that would be of him to her and their daughter, so he tries harder, but it's no use.
He's stuck.
Another plane is coming towards him, and Finn closes his eyes briefly, remembering. The long days spent with his parents, the nights where he and Puck would stay out late, coming back till the early morning. Training for war and getting the honorable status of a captain. Meeting Rachel, knowing Rachel, loving Rachel and their child. It's quite an accomplishment, his life, and the only regret he has leaving this world is not being able to meet his child.
Finn opens his eyes when he hears the bullet begin to pad along the ground, making it's way towards him. He breathes in surrender, prepared for his death, but he isn't prepared for is what happens next -
"NO!"
Puck throws himself in front of him, his body shielding his from the upcoming bullets. He watches in horror as they rip through his stomach, blood splattering his face from the impact. Puck wavers on his feet as the plane leaves, slowly falling to his knees, and then sinking to the ground.
"PUCK!"
He feels rage bubble through him, and with iron muscles he lifts the wing high enough for him to roll to the side. He coughs in bewilderment, his hands stained black as he weakly crawls to Puck's bleeding body, his fingers trailing along the holes in his stomach. "Oh God," he moans, and he can feel them coming, feel the tears swell in his eyes.
His best friend, the man he's known for thirteen years. The man who's been there for his father's death, and for their military training. The man who taught him how to get back up and preserve, the man who's been his brother for half of his life.
That man. That incredible man is now in front of him, bleeding with death on his shoulders. His brown eyes usually full of determination are now filled with fear, and despair, and he knows what's about to happen to him. His hand finds Finn's, and he grasps them together, their final moment as friends, brothers.
"Just hold on a couple minutes longer," Finn chokes out, his voice hoarse and dry. He squeezes his fingers, watching as the war continues around him, but he doesn't care, he can't leave Puck in his dying moments. "I'm not letting the Japanese see you die. I'm not letting them feel that type of victory."
It's no use pretending that he's going to make it, he can't lie. So when he looks at him, he can feel their wall of confidence shatter around them at the realization. His body is still rippling with blood, and Finn wonders how he's still alive. "Promise me something," Puck mumbles, and blood drips from his dry lips. "Promise me that you'll take care of Rachel. And Quinn. Find someone good for her alright?"
"You love her don't you?"
Puck laughs through his tears and Finn can tell by his eyes and skin that he won't make it much longer. He's already fighting hard enough to stay awake, to keep his eyes open and the thought that his best friend is seconds away from permanent departure forces sobs out of him.
"I'm going to be a daddy, you know," Finn says, because he has to know before he dies, "you were going to be an uncle. The best one."
Puck smiles, lips turning up into one last smirk, and then his eyes swiftly close.
xv.
Her hands grip the iron post of the bed, barely holding on as the blood makes her fingers slip. She feels her body tremble, her vision blurry, stained with death. She tries to fight through it, just like the men around her, she can't let them down.
"Rachel."
Santana holds out a hand for her to take as they stand in the middle of chaos, their actions slow compared to the anxiety surrounding them. She steady's her as she stands up straight, fixing her nurse uniform on her dress. "Maybe you should take a break," she sympathizes, her eyes trailing towards her growing belly.
Rachel shakes her off with a wave. These people need more help than she does, they're counting on her to do her job and save their lives. She is not turning her backs on them because of slight dizziness. "There's not enough nurses, don't worry about me."
Rachel turns away from Santana without another word, her mind blocking out her concern. She walks towards the pack of injured men waiting to be cured, ignoring the sharp jolt of pain coursing through her stomach.
She convinces herself it was nothing.
xvi.
"Finn! Get up!"
Sam's hands are persistent as they try to pull him from Puck's motionless body. He clutches himself closer to Puck, not wanting to let go, never wanting to let go of his best man. An erupting bomb a couple feet away forces him off though, and it shakes away his distractions. There's not that many planes anymore, and he wonders where they've gone. Though staring back at the battlefield, the Japanese planes are still bombing the airfield. The innocent people trapped under their targets. The Japanese who killed his best friend.
He needs to get on a plane.
He turns to Sam, yelling over the disorder, "where's the two B-17's?"
A roaring of destruction answers his questions as he looks up at the blue sky, his eyes widening when he notices one of the Japanese planes spinning towards them. It's falling, burning as it spirals, and a sheer glint of hope runs through him when he see's the two B-17's above him, continuing their retaliation on other Japanese planes.
The chaos down here seems to downgrade, most of the planes now leaving in an attempt to escape their revenge. They've accomplished their mission, all of the planes on the ground are destroyed. He feels Sam nudge him where they stand, pointing at their planes. "That's Captain's Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker. McClawey just came back from England. The Eagle Squad."
Finn gapes at the information - he was supposed to be leaving for England today. He was supposed to be off to war, but instead he got stuck in the starting point of World War 2. He planned on entering the war, and then hopefully coming back. Now everything's changed, it's all changed. His best friend is dead, his training base is destroyed, hundreds of souls are lost.
He doesn't know how to recover from something like this.
xvii.
The planes are beginning to leave, with the help of Danny and Rafe. He looks around the massacre, bodies thrown onto the ground like dolls. Finn stumbles towards the nearest survivor, a man, maybe the same age as Finn, broken on the concrete.
"Sir," the man gasps, his hands pointing towards his legs. Finn's eyes trail along his bloody body, eyes rounding when he see's the deep slashes and burns in both of his legs. He looks back at him in sympathy. "What's your name soldier?" Finn asks, and the man almost smiles at the title. He breathes heavily, his chest rising lowly.
"Artie, sir," he answers, and Finn can only nod. He stares at his legs, and he doesn't know what to do, doesn't know if he should bring him to the hospital, if he's allowed to pick him up with these type of injury. He rips a piece of loose fabric from his own uniform, wrapping it around both of his legs in an attempt to stop the bleeding until a nurse can see him. Artie tightens at the pressure, and chokes out innocently,
"Do you think I'll loose my legs?"
xviii.
"Rachel? Rachel are you okay?"
She sways slightly, her legs trembling in some sort of repeating quiver. She feels her head turn in spins, her stomach cramping wildly. Looking up at Quinn in shock, she knows what's coming next. She was too late.
Blood slips from her legs, dripping onto the floor. Her eyes roll back into her head, and she feels herself slowly drifting into nothing. Slowly loosing consciousness.
Quinn gapes. "Oh God, she's having a - "
Rachel doesn't hear what comes next because she's already collapsed on the bloody floor.
xix.
The planes are gone, but the devastation continues.
Finn passes by the sunken ships, the demolished planes, the boneless bodies. This wasn't supposed to happen, they should have seen this coming, someone should have seen the hints. America is smart, their people are smart, than why was this event so unexpected and surprising? Why did the Japanese have to bomb this base camp? The most populated, with the most recruits and good people.
But then he realizes - this is life. This is the word they live in. The world where bad things happen to good people, and good fortune happens to the people who don't deserve it. Life doesn't stop just because people can't keep up with it. And that's the reason, that's why this happened today.
Because that's life.
Finn shakes his head in defeat as he watches people trying to break through the Oklahoma ship, the men trapped at the bottom already drowned by the arising water. It's not use. Nothing anyone does is useful anymore. The only reason he's fought through this day is because he has a responsibility of coming home to a family, a woman who loves him. Rachel.
The thought of her makes him walk faster, and Sam has to run to keep up with him. God, he hopes she's okay, that the baby's okay, that they're all going to be okay. His mind is racing a million miles as he enters the hospital.
It's scattered with moans and injuries but it's organized, and collect. People lay in cots and tables and any space that the nurses could find. A small smile reaches his lips when he realizes the amount of heroism Rachel must have portrayed today.
Just like Puck.
He breathes in a sigh of relief when he notices Quinn tending to a sleeping man, her hand on his forehead to wipe off the sweat. Her eyes widen when she see's him, and they walk towards each other.
"Puck - "
"Rachel - "
He doesn't like the way her eyes turn sympathetic, and he's sure his eyes reflect hers.
"You tell me first," she demands, her breathing so shallow he can barely hear it. Sam claps his back in an attempt to encourage and comfort him, and he stares at Quinn, the woman he promised he would take care of. He doesn't know how to say it, so he doesn't, he just says, "I'm sorry Quinn."
And she knows.
Her face crumples into despair, her piercing, green eyes welling up with tears he didn't want to face. He never thought he would do something like this, tell a widow or sweetheart about the death of their lover, he hates it, hates the pain he's caused just by saying those words. It's worse than doing the actual killing.
He attempts to envelope her in a hug, Puck would have liked that, but she backs away, her hands up in defense. Tears are streaming down her face now, and she waves her hands back and forth. "No, we have time for this later," she says, trying her hardest to be strong. It's a torn situation, trying not to cry over your lost one because you have duties to cover.
She turns to leave, but he grabs her wrist.
"Wait, Quinn, what about Rachel? Is she okay?"
Her eyes shed more tears than before, and she slightly shakes her head. He holds onto her hand, waiting for her to spit out the words. It's something bad, or else it wouldn't be so hard to say. Something bad happened to Rachel. Rachel. His Rachel.
Quinn swallows thickly, "she had a miscarriage, Finn."
Miscarriage.
A simple word, though so many emotions define it. Despair, hate, rage, sympathy, desperation.
Right now Finn is feeling all of them.
His baby, the baby he and Rachel made together by their love is destroyed by hate, not bombs and guns, but hate. No matter the amount of love in this world, there will always be hate, and that's the feeling that is conquering the rest, hate for the Japanese, hate for the war, hate for himself for not protecting her. His fists clench tightly, fingers curling into palms, and then the desperation kicks in.
"I need to see her," he spits out, but Quinn stops him with her hands before he can even move. She bows her head down, and then sadness begins to creep up on him, and soon enough tears are burning down both their cheeks.
"Please Finn," she pleads, "please she's not well. Don't bother her, please just help the others."
He tries to not think about it, about his family being torn apart. About his Rachel not being well. He needs a distraction, so he nods in agreement.
"What do you want us to do?"
xx.
Quinn connects the tubes into Finn's arms, the wires ending at a bowl in front of them. It stings a little as his blood runs through it, dripping in the bowl, but whatever it takes to help people, he'll do.
She moves on to Sam, her hands running along his arms and pricking the needle in his skin. She inserts the tube, and she's about to turn, but Sam stops her, his fingers curling around her delicate hand.
She looks at him in concern.
"Puck was a great man," he says, and his fingertips smooth across her skin. "He died a hero, you know."
Quinn smiles, small and genuine.
xxi.
"How did he die?"
Finn is shocked by Quinn's question as they sit together on the bench outside of Rachel's room. Her progress isn't getting better, and they're not allowing anyone to see her until she's physically recovered. A couple of hours has passed since the infamous morning, and it's night time now, the visions and scenes of death and blood still clear in both their minds.
"Why do you want to know that?" he asks cautiously. Surely she doesn't want to hear the details about her boyfriend being killed, about the bullets that ripped through his body forcefully.
She shrugs. "Sam said he died a hero. How?"
Finn looks at her, her usually pale skin still splattered with red. Her green eyes are bubbling with tears again, and he thinks this is a good time for her to mourn. With all of the survivors asleep, and all of the dead put respectfully away. It's almost quiet in the hospital. Her eyes are burning with explanations and unanswered questions, and he swallows thickly, prepared to retell the moment he watched his best friend die.
"I was running across the airfield when a plane exploded and I got trapped underneath the wing. Another one was coming by, ready to gun me, and Puck jumped in front and took the bullets. I was with him his last few minutes."
It's silent except for the sound of tears hitting skin, heavy breathing. He feels his face grow wet but he doesn't care, it's okay to cry sometimes. "Did he say anything about me?" she wonders quietly.
Take care of Quinn. Find someone good for her alright?
"He loved you," Finn whispers, because he doesn't think she'll want to think about moving on quite yet, so he gives her the satisfaction of keeping it to himself, "he just wanted you to know that."
Her eyes squeeze shut, tears leaking through. He grips her hand in his, the contact sending some sort of comfort towards her. They sit together, no words spoken but understanding one another. They can relate to each other, loosing someone they love. Her boyfriend and his child.
Everyone lost something that day.
xxii.
It's the next morning, when the groups of the injured and the healed, untouched and alive, crowded amongst various radios to hear the results of their attack yesterday. Finn takes Quinn and Sam to the closest one, each of them squished in between other men trying to hear.
President Roosevelt's voice cackles through the speakers:
"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might, will win through to absolutely victory."
An applause echoes throughout the radio, and the people around them repeat it, soldiers and survivors clapping their hands with hope.
"With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God. I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941 -
" - A state of War has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."
Finn blinks in bewilderment, as do Quinn and Sam despite the cheers and whistles of agreement surrounding them. He can't leave now, they can't force him to leave can they? He should have seen this coming.
World War 2 just started.
xxiii.
They're walking back from helping with the broken ships, just the two of them, when the topic comes up again,
"Do you think you'll enter?" Sam asks, and there's an edge to it. The question makes Finn uneasy, just thinking of leaving again, saying a second goodbye to Rachel and his friends. He doesn't think he'll be able to.
He sighs heavily, "It's a high possibility," he says truthfully. The early evening sky brings a certain chill to the conversation, and he's about to elaborate on his opinion when the front doors to the hospital open forcefully with a clang.
Finn's eyes travel towards the noise, and he halts in his tracks when he see's her, dressed in a sunny, white dress, hair long in tangled waves. There's cuts on her legs and arms, but she's standing there, alive and breathing.
He practically cries when she faces him.
"Finn."
She screams it, and she begins to walk towards him, though it's not fast enough for him. He leaves Sam without another word, taking off on a sprint and even from the distance he can see the tears falling from her face. He jumps over the barrier of rubble separating them, and when he lands on his feet, she's already in front of him, launching herself into his arms.
She came home, she came back to him.
He wraps his arms solidly around her waist, her sobs muffled as she rubs her face against his chest. Her hands grasp at his shirt, tugging his material into her fists in a needed attempt to feel all of him. He presses desperate kisses to every part he can reach, her hair, her forehead, her ear, anywhere.
"Finn," she bawls, and he presses herself tighter against him as if she's trying to join them together. It's a whirlwind of emotions, and he doesn't know what to feel as he embraces her passionately. "He's gone, Finn, our baby is - "
He pulls back, his hand cupping the back of her head as he crushes his lips to hers, silencing her. He swallows her cries, not wanting to hear her statement of loosing the baby, their baby they created together. Her lips tremble against his, but she kisses him back, finding comfort in it as he smooths her tears with his other hand.
A sob releases from her, and it causes their mouths to separate, though they're still close, their lips barely grazing each other. She slides her hands up and down the scale of his arms, anxiety bubbling in her every action. "Rachel," Finn whispers. He hooks his finger under her chin, pulling her face up to meet his.
He thumbs the cuts scattered across her face, then wiping away the tears from her cheeks. He practically growls under his breath, they did this to her, the Japanese caused her pain, these tears. He kisses them away, taking advantage of the days he couldn't even see her.
He wonders how badly he'll miss her when he's in war.
They're still embracing in the middle of the demolished campus, and he sighs at the heavy stares they receive. He turns to her, pulling away to link their hands together. "Come on, let's go to the beach."
xxiv.
She cries when he tells her about Puck and Mike, her body collapsing into his arms. He lowers them both to the sand, cradling her close on top of him on the ground. He rubs circles on her back in attempted comfort, and she hides her face in the crook of his neck.
The tears just won't stop.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she bawls, and he starts to rock her back and forth in his embrace, "You were supposed to leave, then come back when I've already given birth. We were supposed to raise a child together, Finn, a loving family. B-but not anymore. And I hate myself for not stopping, for letting this happen, for killing our chi - "
"Rachel. Rachel stop," he sympathizes. She nods against his skin, pressing herself deeper with his body. He can feel the tears leaking against his neck, hot and wet. "You know this isn't your fault. You know you had to save all the people around you. If anything you're a hero, Rachel, my hero at least." He winces when another sob escapes her, and he hopes he didn't say the wrong thing.
Rachel lifts her head to look at him. Eyes swollen. "Quinn told me about Roosevelt declaring war on Japan." There's a pause, and he's sure she sees the glint of panic in his eyes. "I know you have to go . . . I know."
He doesn't say anything, just stares at her gently. His hand comes up to glide against her cheeks, the back of his fingers grazing her skin. She sniffles, rubbing her nose with her arm as she climbs closer to him, her head resting against his.
"I know you'll come back this time."
His eyes are closed, and he doesn't dare open them and let the unwanted tears fall. He can feel her breath fan across his face, and he clutches her closer. "How?" he asks, because how can she have hope after everything they've lost.
Her answer breaks him.
"God has already taken so much."
xxv.
She squeezes their linked fingers as they walk among the thousands of wooden coffins organized in rows. His arm comes up to wrap around her middle, pulling her as close as he can as they pass by the victims of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Finn watches as women and men mourn at their loved ones, hands pressing against the wood in an attempt to feel them again.
He pulls Rachel closer to him, never wanting to have that feeling of not being able to touch her again. Her hair is pulled back in a messy bun, eyes shaded with despair and loss as they make their rounds. He momentarily freezes when he sees Sam holding a sobbing Quinn a couple feet away, and he instantly knows what coffin they're at.
Puck.
His eyes meet Rachel's red ones, and they don't say anything, but she knows what he's thinking. Giving him a reassuring smile they walk towards the blonde pair, body's pressed together. The warm Hawaii sun is blaring his back, heat mixing with anxiety as he walks closer to his best friend's anatomy.
Quinn's cries are torturous, her heart clearly aching. She holds onto Sam, and when Finn see's the coffin, see's the name printed on the wood -
He would have collapsed if it weren't for Rachel.
She steadies him, not with her body, but with her love. Her lips pressing against his chest, her hands reassuring as they move against his frame. Her eyes, soft and gentle, as they gaze into his. Love, the only thing stronger than hate and despair.
Rachel tries to smile, attempted comfort, but her face crumbles again as her fingers play with the fabric above her stomach. There's one person here who isn't buried, who isn't mentioned, their child. He shouldn't be forgotten either.
He cradles her face against his chest, holding her as they both let their tears fall over the horrific date that changed everything. But one thing hasn't changed for sure.
He'll always be there for her. No matter what.
xxvi.
He approaches them when they're walking back from the memorial.
"Captain Hudson."
He feels Rachel tense beside him as they turn to see Lt. Schuester striding towards them. Uniform sharp and clean, he wears the same frown on his face, only deepened after a long day.
"Rachel why don't you head back," Finn tells her. She looks up at him, eyes widening as Schuester stops in front of them. "It's okay," he whispers, low enough for only her to hear, "it's okay."
She nods, stepping closer to him so he can press a lingering kiss to her forehead. Their hands separate as she walks away, hurrying a little to catch up with Sam and Quinn heading back also. He turns to Schuester.
"I'm under the impression the Eagle Squad still wants me."
Schuester nods curtly. "They know about the attack. They've been generous though, knowing that surviving that day must have caused a life time of pain. They're only giving you one year of dogfighting in England." he says, and a shiver of hope runs through him. One year. He can do that, he can survive that. He has to.
Finn nods, he's confident. "When do I leave?"
"Get to the planes in three hours."
xxvii.
He walks back to the room the four of them have been sharing in the one of the last buildings that hasn't been destroyed. Three hours, three hours to say all the things he should be able to say in one year.
That's a lot of talking.
"Finn." Rachel rushes towards him, eyes wide with questions. Her face almost breaks him down. "What did he say?"
He doesn't answer, not caring about the concerned expressions of Quinn and Sam as he pulls her flush towards him, kissing her in the earnest. She slips into his embrace, kissing him with the same forcefulness. Passion, and love, and angst. He has two hours before he has to pack and get to the plane, and all he wants to do is spend it with Rachel.
"Three hours," he gasps when they separate, and shock crosses all three of their features, "I leave in three hours."
Sam pulls Quinn out of the room as if they already know what he's about to ask next, closing the door behind them. Rachel doesn't cry, doesn't sob in denial, but pulls him back to her, also desperate to experience the love they won't be able to share in a year.
They kiss each other without any temptation to stop, lips locked and bodies glued. He knows that he has to come back, with everything that Rachel lost, and the damage that the attack did to her life. He has a responsibility to fix her with his love and words. He knows she can't loose him. She can't.
He's the only one left she can loose.
xxviii.
They spent the next two hours making love and talking about love and loving each other. He had to pack then, despite her begging him not to, and it hurt him to watch her break like that. She lost everything, she's different now. There's still the sweet Rachel Berry he loved before the attack but now she's always afraid. He has a duty of bringing her back to normal.
Sam, Quinn and Rachel come with him to where his plane to England his, Rachel quietly hiding behind them as the two blondes bid their goodbyes. He shakes Sam's hand, patting him on the back with promises of seeing him soon, and hugs Quinn, who promises she'll take care of Rachel when they move to Ohio in an attempt to become nurses there.
Rachel chose Ohio because she told him that when he comes home, he should really be home.
It then comes to Rachel, who slithers through Quinn and Sam as they leave. She smiles timidly at him, almost shy. "I always thought you looked good in a suit," she giggles, nodding towards his uniform.
He smiles too, but he can see the cracks of her expression with the pain hidden in her eyes. He pulls her towards him, hooking his finger under her chin to tilt her head up. Placing a gentle kiss on her lips, he can feel her lips tremble in despair, breaking through her honest feelings.
Leaning his forehead against hers, he kisses her forehead. "You know I'll come back, Rachel. Please believe me when I say that. There will be more help now that America joined, and I'll write to you everyday so you know that I'm okay. Alright?"
She smiles through her tears, small but genuine. "Do you know how much I love you?"
His heart flutters a little, and he should say it now. Say it now so she has something to hold onto while he's gone, something to look forward to. He cradles her face with his hands, eyes burning into hers. "Then will you do me a favour?"
"Anything," she vows.
"Marry me."
Her eyes widen, and he can practically feel her heart hammering through her chest. Her mouth gapes open, but she's speechless. Rachel Berry is speechless for once.
"Hudson!"
He turns to see Schuester waving at him, gesturing for him to climb into the boarding plane. He holds his fingers up, indicating that he'll be a couple more minutes as he turns back to Rachel, her eyes full of confusion.
"You're going to have answer now Rach," he tells her anxiously, bouncing on his feet. His luggage is already packed on the plane, everything is ready, he's prepared, all he's waiting for is her answer. Her promise of a lifetime of love and commitment. It's crazy, knowing someone for almost three months and wanting to be with them forever.
"Yes," she whispers, and it's so low that he can barely hear her.
"Yes?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" she's squealing, all sadness forgotten as they both laugh through their tears. He picks her up, arms pinned around her waist as he twirls them both on the concrete. He can hear Quinn giggle in the background, and he peppers kisses along her face, his fiancee.
Schuester hollers again from the distance, and he kisses her, quick but passionate as he sets her back on the ground. "I love you," she whispers, excited despite the fact he's heading to war. He smiles against her lips, "I love you Mrs. Hudson."
She beams at him, and with one final meet kiss, he pulls away from her, eyes still connected. He walks backwards, trying to remember her beautiful face, the only thing he'll be thinking about while he's in England. "I'll see you in a year," he yells out to her.
He can see her giggle in the distance, and he thinks she'll be alright. "I'll meet you at the Altar."
Her smiling face is the last thing he sees before boarding the plane.
xxix.
Rachel and Quinn move to Ohio three months later, nothing but money and clothes. Meeting with the head in Lima's General Hospital, they're both accepted, starting their jobs and paying for rent in their one bedroom apartment. It's not until a couple days later when she receives a letter.
Rachel,
It's so different here. I'm sorry I haven't been able to write to you as much, it's not that I don't want to, but it's so crazy here, Rach. It's hard to make friends, because I'm scared of loosing anyone. Like I lost Puck.
I miss you though, and in nine months we'll be together again. I know you and Quinn are in Ohio, and I want you to visit my mother. She lives on Fourth St. number twenty-six. Just make sure she's alright, introduce yourself. I know she'll adore you like I do.
Love forever, Finn.
She visits her the next day, nervously knocking on the door with her hair piled on top of her head, carrying apple pie. When she answers, her eyes matching Finn's brown ones, she's confused. "Hello, who's this?" she asks, and she can tell by her sweet voice how good of a mother she is. Rachel smiles, answering proudly,
"I'm your son's fiancee."
xxx.
Five months after that, she's coming home from lunch with Carole when she finds Sam in her kitchen with Quinn. They're smiling at each other, genuinely, and she can see the badge plastered on his uniform.
"Sam!"
He hugs her tightly, and he still looks the same after eight months in the war. He tells her not to worry, it's not as scary as she thinks and Finn will be alright.
For the first time in a while, she starts to feel alright.
xxxi.
Quinn and Sam somehow fall in love, stealing kisses during dinner and tender gazes while they're listening to the radio. She gets nightmares, of finding Tina dead and feeling the impact of a bomb. It's making her miss Finn more than ever, and it's not until she receives another letter that she feels whole,
Rachel,
One month doll. I'll be with you in one month. I'll be able to kiss you and love you, and we'll be even more domestic then Sam and Quinn (Rachel laughs through her tears) I miss you like hell sweetheart, and I hear from my mother's letters that she loves you like a daughter.
Words can't describe how desperate I am to see you again, start a family again. We'll be okay babe, everything will, and when I come back, we'll get married just like I promised.
Love you so much,
Finn.
xxxii.
He marries her on December 17th, 1942, the day he comes back.
She's waiting at the altar (she wasn't kidding) with Carole, Quinn and Sam the only audience in the quiet church. She smiles patiently at the priest, her insides turning at the thought of her fiancee walking through she hasn't seen in a year walking through the doors.
She can hear the sound of a car stopping outside, and the doors open, and there he stands.
Finn.
His face is marred with scars and bruises, dark circles covering his eyes but there's still that dopey smile that she fell in love with. Still the Finn Hudson she's about to marry.
A beam widens on her features as she walks towards her, nodding at their guests as he passes. Carole holds a hand to her mouth, a small gasp escaping her as she watches her son take his place on the altar, still dressed in his uniform.
"You're late," she hisses at him, despite the smile playing at her lips. He chuckles, takes her hand in his hand and replies,
"You're so beautiful."
The ceremony is small and personal, each of them not being able to keep their eyes off each other. And when the priest declares them husband and wife, he kisses her for the first time in a year, passionate and loving. His lips are just as warm, his hands just as gentle as he cradles her face. It's warm and she holds onto him, not wanting to let him go.
Later, after he hugged his mom, and laughed with his two friends, they lay snuggled between the sheets of her apartment, their apartment. His bare body pressed against hers, arms wrapped tightly around her. She smiles to herself, never loving him more than in that one moment as they stay in each other's arms.
He kept his promise.
He came back to her.
xxiii.
The war ends three years later in the summer of '45.
It's a glistening moment, as Finn runs to her when he comes home from work at the station, picking her up and kissing her soundly. He's happy, she's happy, everyone should be happy.
But she can't stop herself from thinking about the day it started for her.
Many of her friends died on that fateful morning, thousands of soldiers killed and drowned. Hearts were broken, tears were shed, blood was splattered. They were attacked, suddenly attacked and no one was prepared. A child was killed that day, their child, and she could have stopped it.
But she can't think like that now, not now that her and Finn are together, that Quinn and Sam are married, now that they have a beautiful child named Noah. She can't help but think that maybe this is how her life was supposed to happen, maybe she was supposed to loose those people so she could gain new ones. Maybe God had bigger and better plans for her than she thought.
She tells him this, when they've tucked in Noah, and lay together on the bed. His hands stroke her hair as she speaks, eyes content and listening. He smiles at her when she finishes, pressing his lips to her forehead.
"America grew stronger," he says, his voice husky with age, "we grew stronger, we can't regret that."
She kisses him, long and hard.
She still wakes up with nightmares, those will never change but Finn is always there to console her.
He'll always be there.
Well that's the end! I know the ending was rushed but I didn't want to dwell on the days where Finn is gone. I wanted a happy ending and I hope I did it justice.
I know I'm not American, but I do have so much respect for that country on that day. They conquered Pearl Harbor, grew from it, and I hope all of you are think that a fellow Canadian writer did this infamous even justice:)
I hope you enjoyed reading it, and are happy with the results. May be a while before I post anything else because school is starting but I'll try my best:)
Enjoy the rest of your summer and please review! xoxoxoxoxoo.