A/N: Thank you for all the positive reviews! Ready? Go!

v.

Rachel wasn't being her usual self lately. Something about her eyes had turned a little lifeless, her hair wasn't as shiny as it used to be and her voice was still amazing, but not the cheerful Rachel Berry kind of amazing. For a week now, Finn had been studying her behavior, trying to figure out why was she so off, but she didn't share a word about it with him. Nevertheless, she was still his friend before anything and he wanted nothing more than help her.

So on Friday as she finished her last performance and everyone had gone home, he locked the front door and poured her a nonalcoholic cocktail – mango was her favorite – and sat down on the stage with her, knowing it was the place it made her feel more comfortable. She nodded as he asked if the drink was good, smiling softly at him but avoiding his gaze. Finn frowned. Usually, the Rachel he knew would make a huge speech about how healthy mangos are and how delicious it is and how he should totally try it and all.

"What's going on?" He asked with pursed lips. Oh well, better now than never.

"Nothing, you?" She asked, not looking up at him, her eyes focused completely on the drink as if it was the most amusing thing in the world. Finn sighed, rolling his eyes at her.

"You know that's not what I meant, come on, Rach!" He nudged her shoulder softly, like a brother does to his little sister. She scrunched her nose at him and turned her head so she could face the opposite side with a huff.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I'm great." She said, taking another sip of her cocktail. Finn sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and looking at her with worried eyes.

"Come on… You know you can tell me anything. We are friends, right?" He asked softly, watching her tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. He knew she did that whenever she was nervous and he also knew that whenever she did that, it meant he won. She was gonna tell him.

"M-my mom." She looked down at her feet, her knees pressed on her chest and she hugged them tightly for her own protection. Finn's eyebrows knit together on his forehead and then he began going through his mind, searching for something Rachel had told him about her mom. Oh! Wasn't she the one who gave birth to her just for the money and kind of 'sold' Rachel for her two gay dads? Yeah, he was pretty sure that was it; otherwise, he would be going crazy and making up soap operas in his head. "She's back." She whispered sadly. Taking another deep breath, she continued. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you about this. It's obviously bothering you, I'm sorry." She let out a quiet, yet forced giggle.

Finn frowned, caressing her back as if he was calming her, resting his head on her shoulder with a shy smile. "It's fine, you know you can tell me anything." He smiled up at her and she smiled back, pursing her lips. From that angle, Finn could notice how thick and long her eyelashes were, so big and beautiful, they only made her eyes pop out, making them even more beautiful. Dear God, she was perfect.

"I just- She never looked for me, you know? She didn't try, not even try to talk to me." She continued, pursing her lips and looking down at her hands. "It was started in high school, you know? I was part of the Glee club there and it was amazing, it light up my day completely, I wasn't, what you may call, a very sociable person, but Glee club just made me forget all my troubles and made me want to move on with my life, be a star and not listen to what people think of me… It was my escape. I loved it there with all my heart." She breathed in and out slowly. "That was, until my mom came along." Finn noticed the bitterness in her voice. "My Glee club teacher, Mr. Schuester, he was a nice guy, okay? Hard working, nice, he listened to people's thoughts… I wasn't his favorite, I could tell, but that didn't mean he hated me, no, in fact, he was sweet to me, in a teacher's proper way, that is. But his only problem was being single.Damn him being single, honestly. My mom had been part of a few Broadway shows here and there by that time and she decided it was best for her to come back to teaching, since she wasn't getting any younger and her looks started fading away, she was quite desperate. So, when she began teaching, she decided – since my school was one of the bests in the city, thank you very much – to teach at my school. I was fine it with, we never talked, we barely made any eye contact or even acknowledged each other's existence. It was lovely, really because she didn't mess me up and I didn't get in her way: the perfect ecosystem."

"The only problem was that only more and more people wanted to join Glee and Mr. Schue wasn't being able to handle it all by himself, so he asked my mother to help him. She gladly accepted, since she led a boring life and had not much to do anyway. But, as time went by, she only got to spend more time with Mr. Schue and I could tell by each rehearsal, they only got closer to each other and that somehow, infuriated me… She was invading my life; she was invading my happy place! And so one year later, we watch her and Mr. Schue walk in the room, those stupid, disgusting smiles on their faces while holding hands and suddenly, they told us: they were getting married.She was marrying my favorite teacher, Finn!" Rachel said, the sadness flashing through her eyes all over again as Finn rubbed her back smoothly. "You know how hard it is to have someone you've been running away from your whole life taking over every little thing that gave you joy, hope? It fucking sucks!" And Finn agrees, it must suck, especially because he never heard her cursing before. "And now… She calls me. She says that Will and Beth are looking forward to see me again." Rachel huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Finn frowned softly, pursing his lips for a moment.

"Beth?" He asked quietly.

"Oh, right. Didn't I mention it? She never wanted me as her daughter, but she would, of course, want to have another baby, a blonde, beautiful, little baby and she named her Beth. I like Beth, she's a nice kid, she's seven and she's so polite and it's not like it's her fault her mother is like that but- It's disgusting, I mean, they are just the perfect family. It's like watching Desperate Housewives without all the drama." Rachel groaned, infuriated as the picture of her mother with her teacher flashed on her mind. Finn nodded, not really sure of what to do next, so instead, he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, making her tense up for a moment before he pulled her closer and let her bury her face in his neck, hugging him back softly.

"You'll be okay." He nodded softly, caressing her back with his calloused hands. She nodded in his neck, because even though she'd never admit it, Finn made her feel okay. What she did feel for him wasn't okay. Not for a boss, not for a bit.

vi.

The lazy Sundays were Finn's favorites, for sure. He got wake up as late as he wanted to, he didn't have to worry about work for a day, he could spend the whole day without a shower - he was a single guy, okay? Not like he had anyone to smell him or anything – and the best of all, he could be just Finn, no one else's friend, no one else's brother or son. Just Finn, the guy who liked lazy Sundays.

It was, however, while he showered that his phone started ringing. He decided to ignore it, after all, people called him all the time for parties on Sunday and he didn't want to be bothered. As he left the shower and began drying his hair with a towel, his phone rang again and he began feeling kind of annoyed by it. Damn loud ringtone, he thought. On the third ring, he couldn't take it anymore, reaching for the cellphone, frowning as he didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" He mumbled boringly.

"Finn, I need your help."

And that is how he ended up in the Schuester's apartment, sitting on the couch uncomfortably as big green eyes stared at him with curiosity. The girl by his side had blonde, soft curls falling from her shoulders, rosy lips and cheeks and a milky-colored skin. Beth examined Finn up and down with a frown before settling herself on her knees, smoothing her skirt softly as she leaned closer to him. He looked at her awkwardly, not sure of what to do as her pearly teeth shown themselves to him in her brightest of smiles.

"I'm Beth!" She told him, her voice childish and innocent. Finn grinned softly with a nod.

"I know. I'm Finn." He told her, holding out his hand for her. Beth shook his hand firmly before sitting up off the couch, her curls bouncing as she did so. She examined the living room with a pout, her skinny finger tapping her chin in a thinking manner. Finn watched the scene with amusement.

"And where is my sister, Finn?" She asked him, hands on her hips as she looked at him with puzzled eyes. Finn shrugged her look away subtly.

"Rachel said she'd make you something to eat, but she'd be right back." He told her. "Now, she told me you like Disney, is that right?" He asked as the little girl nodded with her head furiously. "Cool. Wanna pick a movie so we can watch?" He asked Beth. Noticing her green eyes were shinning with excitement, he smiled, realizing he had made the right choice. She took his gigantic hand in her tiny ones and pulled him towards her bedroom. As they opened the door, Finn blinked a couple of times. Everything was pink: the walls, the bed, the stuffed teddybears, everything. Skipping girly, Beth reached her nightstand's top drawer, pulling out the Tangled DVD out of it. She shook it happily in her tiny hands, skipping towards the living room as Finn followed her, smiling as she bounced up and down on the couch happily, little girly squeals leaving her mouth.

"I love Tangled!" She clapped with excitement and Finn nodded.

"So I've noticed."

As the movie began and Beth played with her long curls, Finn could hear Rachel's footsteps approaching them calmly. Finn snapped his head so he would be able to see Rachel coming and smiled at the sight in front of him: Rachel was in a blue, soft dress. It had a skirt that reached towards her knees, her curves showing off properly but still classy enough, not to mention it was strapless, showing off her collarbone just right. Finn grinned, making her blush slightly as she sat by their side on the couch, handing Beth a plate filled with sliced fruits. Beth scrunched her perfect nose slightly, making an 'ew' face at the plate as Rachel shook her head.

"Rachie…" Beth mumbled with her tongue sticking out of her mouth, her face not pleased with the fruits in front of her. Rachel shook her head vigorously with a huff.

"Don't give me that look, Beth. You know you need to eat your fruits. Besides, apples are good for your vocal chords!" Rachel nodded, poking Finn with her elbow lightly as if she was asking him for support. He rubbed his ribs with a groan, nodding softly.

"Yeah, totally." Finn agreed with Rachel, taking one of the pieces of apples in his mouth and rubbing his stomach as if he was showing Beth how good it was. Rachel and Beth glared at each other for a few seconds more before Beth huffed, taking one piece of the oranges and stuffing it in her mouth, a pout still slightly visible on her mouth.

"Fine!" Beth groaned, not happy that Rachel always got her to eat healthy stuff.

As the movie ended – like Beth's fruits on her plate -, Finn noticed Rachel had let out a quiet yawn, stirring her legs lazily; he looked over at Beth and noticed her tiny mouth hanging open, her eyes closed as she snored softly, her tiny hands scratching her nose every now and then. Finn smiled softly, poking Rachel softly on the side, startling her a little. Rachel sat up properly, smoothing her dress and looking over at Beth with a sly grin. Finn took the five year old in his arms, petting her curls softly as Rachel took the plate from Beth's lap as took it to the kitchen. Finn laid Beth on her bed, covering her with the pink sheets since it was a chilly evening outside. Beth smiled in her sleep, making Finn grinned along as well. As he noticed Rachel looking at both of them, leaning against Beth's bedroom door, he realized he could get used to that. Taking care of a child with Rachel. Rachel being the one to tell them to eat their healthy stuff, Finn being the fun guy, snuggling with Rachel on the couch as they watched a Disney movie.

You know, as friends.

vii.

Finn was sick that day, apparently, so Rachel didn't have to go to work. However, as she remembered his words, she couldn't help but to feel guilty: they were friends before work partners, weren't they? So visiting her sick friend was the least she could do. Also, bring some soup, her fathers always taught her not to visit someone's house with empty hands.

So, as Rachel grabbed her coat, leaving her apartment, she wondered how appropriate/inappropriate would it be from her if she showed up on her boss' house with soup and 'get better soon' wishes. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

Shaking all those thoughts away as she pressed the buzzer of Finn's apartment, she swayed on her calves playfully, not sure of what to do. How did she greet her boss/friend anyway? A kiss on the cheek? A hug? A shove on the chest and a 'sup, bro'? Her mind seemed to be restless, that was, until Finn opened the door, rubbing his eyes softly and pouting a little. Gosh, he was the cutest. Clearing her throat as he set his eyes on her, she watched him frown.

"Rach?" He asked, with his manly, husky voice. She guessed he had just woken up and ohmy,was that voice hot. Allowing herself to do it, she lowered her eyes a little, breathing hard as she noticed what he was wearing: old, gray sweatpants, a white shirt and nothing else. She could guess he wasn't wearing any underwear either, judging by the fact she could see his… Volume down there.

Finn pulled her out of her thoughts as he cleared his throat, making her blush lightly and blink awkwardly. "Oh! Yes, uh- you're sick." She said dumbly, wanting nothing more to slap herself across the face.

"Thanks Rachel, I couldn't really tell." He replied with a grin, mocking her was one of his favorite hobbies, she assumed.

"You didn't let me finish!" She stuck her tongue out at him childish, setting both of her hands on her hips and sighing before continuing. "You're sick so I decided to come by and take care of you. At least, cheer you up a little. I know how it sucks being alone and no one being here to take care of you, so I decided I might as well step up. I guarantee you I am an excellent cook and though I may be vegan, I see no harm in making you one of my dad's favorite whenever he was sick: chicken soup. Now, I need to set this somewhere, it's really hot and burning my hands, so may I come in?" She asked, breathlessly since she had talked way too much and too fast. Finn nodded, slowly walking away from the door, allowing her inside.

Rachel let her eyes travel through the living room and she had to admit: it was a lovely place. It sure had enough room for a bachelor and his company (on the case, women, many women, Rachel assumed Finn had every girl in the world on the palm of his hands), the decoration wasn't so bad, for a straight guy that is, and to be honest, she could smell Finn everywhere in that room. It was a nice smell: soap and grass. She didn't know why he smelled like grass, but it was such a good smell.

But imagine her surprise as a skinny, pale guy with deep blue eyes walked out of the corridors (which she assumed that led to the bedroom) in nothing but boxers and a wife-beater. Rachel blinked, trying not to blush too deeply in front of Finn. She sat on the couch and played with her hands nervously on her lap, looking down at her knees. She would have never guessed Finn was homosexual! And she worked on Broadway. Her roommate was Kurt Hummel, a walking rainbow. Her gaydar should be broken.

Noticing Rachel's discomfort, Finn coughed lightly, clearing his throat and calling the mysterious' gentleman attention, who was already pouring himself some orange juice. The guy looked at Finn over his shoulder and smiled brightly.

"Oh Finn, didn't see ya, mate." He nodded at Finn. Rachel frowned, suddenly analyzing his accent. An Irish accent, perhaps? She couldn't really tell. Finn walked towards the guy and told him something with a frown on his forehead and heard him whisper something like oh so that's Rachel! But she wasn't sure. She could be imagining things… Right?

"Sorry you had to see… That, Rachel." Finn chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically. Shaking her head as if she was letting him know it wasn't that big deal, Finn continued, this time squeezing the man's shoulder. "This is Rory. He is my cousin. Rory is Irish, if you couldn't tell and he is staying with me for a couple of months until he gets himself an apartment, he just received a job offer here in New York. Rory, this is Rachel. Remember?" Finn asked, trying to pass something through his eyes for Rory. Rory smirked, nodding slightly.

"Oh, ya that hot girl Finn keeps going on and on about all the time, huh?" He said with a chuckle and both Rachel and Finn were caught blushing from their head to their toes. He shook Rachel's hand firmly with a smile. "Nice to meet ya."

He didn't have such a heavy accent, after all. It was quite endearing. He was cute, in a Kurt Hummel kind of way. Shaking his hand back, she smiled.

"Nice meeting you too! I'm sorry I came by with no short notice; I just really wanted to make sure Finn was doing alright. I've been feeling guilty for not visiting him all morning." She giggled softly, though couldn't help but to notice the way Finn bit his lip, hiding his smile.

"You were worried about me?" He asked in a teasingly tone, swaying on his feet in a boyish kind of way. She cleared her throat, smoothing her skirt and avoiding the topic.

She knew it would be kind of stupid to announce to her boss (out loud, at least) how much she cared about him, how much she missed him though they just spent one afternoon without each other and how she's always wondering how he is doing during the days she has a break. So, she chose to pour Finn and Rory some chicken soup instead.

They watched 'What's your number?' on Finn's couch, Rachel curled in a ball at the beginning of the couch but with her cheek pressed against Finn's arm, who had his head comfortably resting on top of Rachel's and Rory simply stood there, being himself as they watched the movie. Rory noticed in about one hour and a half that Finn and Rachel looked way too cozy with each other, so instead of staying there as the third wheel, he decided to run to the kitchen – to have chicken soup, he said – and by kitchen, he meant bedroom. He never came out that afternoon.

Rachel's hair brushed against Finn's jawline even so often, making him chuckle lowly so he wouldn't scare her. She looked up at him at some points, biting her lip whenever he caught her eye.

After the movie was over, Rachel yawned, rubbing her eyes and looking out of the window, she realized it was already quite dark outside. She wanted him to take her downstairs, that's all, but as she pouted at him, he couldn't handle himself as the next words slipped from his lips.

"I'll drive you home." He said softly.

viii.

The drive to Rachel's apartment was half silent and awkward, and half awkward. Rachel kept playing with her skirt, biting her lip and clearing her throat. Finn looked at her at every red light, making her blush as she turned around to face him and caught him staring at her.

After ten minutes of the most heavy and uncomfortable silence ever,Finn coughed subtly and turned the radio on, hoping that it would somehow make the mood in the car… Lighter.

Oh boy, was he wrong.

As he turned the radio on, Barry White's "Just the Way You Are" began playing, making Finn blush from his head to toe. That was the sexiest song ever. Well, not that he found Barry White sexy, but it was a proved fact that two of five porno films had that song as their background music. Finn looked at Rachel awkwardly, nipping on his lower lip again and again until he coughed softly.

"So…" He began, clearing his throat. "Isn't that song perfect for porn?"

He couldn't help his grin as Rachel giggled as loud as possible. She began teasing him, sending him winks and biting on her finger playfully and though he knew it was playful, he sure wanted to play with her. As she noticed the way Finn shifted awkwardly on his seat, she grinned, knowing exactly what to do next.

"Don't go changing, to try and please me! You never let me down before!" She belt out, waving her head to the sides playfully, her hair all over her face as she smirked, continuing to sing along to the song. "Don't imagine you're too familiar and I don't see you anymore!" She sang, belting out every note and waving her hair crazily, her hands running all over Finn's arm and shoulder, making him blush deeply. "I wouldn't leave you!" She pointed at him with a smirk, which he replied with a chuckle. "In times of trouble, we never could have come this far!" He chuckled even more as Rachel began pressing her hands on her chest, belting out the notes between giggles. Finn smirked over at her: she was so goddamn adorable. "I took the good times, I'll take the bad times! I'll take you-" She pointed at him again, winking slightly. "JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!" She giggled, biting her lip flirty. She nudged his side with her elbow and wiggled her eyebrows at him, making him roll his eyes playfully at her before singing along as well.

"Don't go trying-" He began.

"DON'T GO TRYING!" Rachel belt out a higher note, making his belly hurt from all the laughter.

"Some new fashion." He smirked at her, eyes on her clothes. Rachel had a light blouse on her, the blouse filled with pink and white flowers all over it, matching her yellow high-waist skirt, which bottoms were filled with tiny white flowers. Again, she looked like walking sunshine. He loved how she sometimes dressed up so childish and innocent – like the way she was dressed now – and how sometimes she just came to work wearing the hottest clothes a guy could everwitness.

"Don't change the color of your hair." He sang softly, playing with her curls and making her giggle lightly, blushing under his touch. She loved whenever he acted flirty towards her. It was quite alluring. She shouldn't change her hair at all, he thought, after all it was really Rachel-ish and she looked amazing that way.

"You always have my unspoken passion, although I might not seem to care. I don't want clever conversation, I never want to work that hard, I just want someone that I can talk to-"

"I want you just the way you are." She sang along with him, smiling softly at the way he stared at her and the way their voices seemed to mix so perfectly. She blinked a couple of times, still shocked at the way his eyes seemed to read hers so discretely yet so obviously, somehow. It was hard to explain, but wasn't love hard to explain itself?

Woah, who said anything about love? Calm down, Rachel.

Rachel blinked, biting her lip and looking away for a moment. They remained silent for the last two minutes of the car ride, Rachel's hands once again moving on her lap nervously. Finn chuckled lowly to himself, he loved whenever she did that. He noticed he begun memorizing every little thing about her, her smile, the way her nose always seemed to wrinkle whenever she laughed too hard or how she always let someone know she was going to hug them. He also noticed how he loved every single thing about her.

But not her, he didn't love her. Not at all, not for a bit.

Okay, maybe as friends.Like a 'we-are-friends-but-just-friends' kind of love.

As he pulled over in front of her apartment building, she looked up slowly, her brown eyes lightening up from the streetlights. His heart did some weird flip on his chest.

Rachel tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, biting her lip softly. She turned around and faced him, whispering a quiet 'goodnight' at him, which he replied to with a slight nod. As she walked out of the car, he sighed, opening his door and walking out of the car as well. As he leaned against the car, he closed his eyes softly, wondering what exactly he felt for Rachel. She was his employe eand his friend, therefore, any kind of feelings for her would be unacceptable, right? Right?

All his thoughts were pushed away when he felt a pair or warm, soft lips pressed against his cheek lightly, making him jump out of surprise. He looked at Rachel, who blinked her eyelashes lovingly at him, blushing lightly as she swayed on her calves the way she always did. Another thing he learned from her.

"I just wanted to thank you for the ride, that's all." She nodded, her hand brushing on his chest softly, making him look down at her, mesmerized by her. She was such an adorable girl, he thought. "Now goodnight, Finn." She giggled, leaning in to kiss his cheek again, this time though, it lasted longer and Finn could feel her breathing against his skin, making him shiver lightly.

"Goodnight for real?" He asked with a teasing grin. She giggled, shaking her head.

"For real."

"No more surprise yet kind of creepy kisses?"

"Nope. Pinky promise." She nodded, showing her pink at him and winking.

"Damn. I really liked those." He sighed dramatically, bringing a hand to his chest and breathing a heavy breath, making her giggle at how dramatic he was.

"Goodnight, Finn." She told him one final time, walking away. He watched the way her tiny body moved on the dark, somehow lighting the whole place up. Finn caught himself grinning like an idiot, just thinking about her.

Being in love wasn't so bad, after all.

A/N: If you liked Beth, you're in luck; she's going to show up more often on the next chapters! Rory will be present as well. Get ready for the drama on the next chapters. Let me know what you guys thought. Thank you for reading. Also, the song used this chapter is called Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel, but I like Barry White's version better.