A/N: I still don't own anything.

Helping the Helpless: Chapter Three

The next morning, after Finn had already left for work, Rachel called her OB-GYN and scheduled an appointment for January 4th. It was a Wednesday afternoon, so Rachel knew that Finn couldn't come with her. She knew it wasn't his baby, but it wasn't the same seeing the baby by yourself. The first time she got an ultrasound, she was alone, wishing that Jesse would have been there to celebrate with her. But then he turned her and their baby down. And Rachel couldn't really ask Finn to go; she could tell that he was still upset over the whole situation with Quinn and something like that might bring back sad memories that he would have to deal with.

So, Rachel would go alone.

After getting dressed for the day, in a cute blue dress with black leggings, she stopped by the music store to give her old high school friend Sam his first voice lesson. She just happened to run into him when looking for a job yesterday. He told her that they weren't hiring, but then they got to talking. Rachel really wanted to get Finn something for Christmas that had to do with music since he said he loved it so much. Sam said that he had a certain instrument that they had been trying to sell for a couple of years now. It was in the back storage room and he was more than willing to trade it for some voice lessons.

Sam and Rachel were both in the Glee club together in high school. Sam already has a great voice, but he wanted Rachel to help him do better; he was a struggling musician trying to make it big. Rachel promised to meet him every day for lessons in exchange for Finn's gift. He was surprised when Rachel told him that she was pregnant. Since they were quite close in high school, she had no problem explaining to him everything that had happened since graduation.

And she was happy to learn that he was still dating another one of Rachel's old friends, Mercedes. She was going to school in Pennsylvania, so they were able to see one another rather often. Sam was even thinking about proposing to her for Christmas, a plan that Rachel wholeheartedly agreed with.

After gossiping and singing for a good three hours, Rachel decided to head back to the apartment.

"I'll see you the same time tomorrow, Sam," Rachel said with a smile.

"Awesome," he replied. "Be sure to call if Finn's at work and you need something."

"I will, thanks," she said before walking out of the store.

It was a cold December day, but it was quite sunny outside. Rachel loved walking the streets of New York during the holiday season. There were lights everywhere and you could even hear Christmas music as you walked by the dozens of stores on each street. And everyone you passed in the street seemed happier than usual; this happiness was contagious.

Until she saw Jesse St. James. He was walking into a coffee shop with a gorgeous blonde on his arm. Rachel wondered if she was a student of his. Then, she started crying. Her great mood led to one of sadness as she made her way back to the apartment. On the way back, the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

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With tears streaming down her face, Rachel locked the front door and took her winter coat off, putting on the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen. The apartment was already spotless, so she figured that she had the rest of the afternoon to just sit around and sulk.

She made a trip to the bathroom for the fifth time that day; the baby seemed to be lying on her bladder. Then, on her way back out to the living room, Rachel looked at Finn's bed. It looked so warm and inviting. She knew that he wouldn't mind if she just laid there for a little while. The couch was pretty comfortable, but snuggling under the covers of a big bed seemed better.

She took her shoes off before pulling the comforter back and climbing into the bed. She lay on her side and took a deep breath. The pillow smelled just like Finn. And she was quickly comforted. She now felt safe, like nothing could ever hurt her and her baby. But part of her was still upset.

Minutes later, after the tears stopped, Rachel fell asleep.

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Finn walked into the apartment, expecting to hear the television on or music playing. He was a little uneasy when he didn't hear anything. Then, he spotted Rachel's coat on the chair and relaxed a little. He figured she must be taking a nap. He didn't know Rachel handled pregnancy, but he remembered from a high school Sex Ed. class that pregnant women were tired a lot of the time.

He walked into the living room, but the couch was Rachel-less. He looked around in confusion before deciding to walk in his room.

He smiled when he saw Rachel sleeping soundly in his bed. She looked so tiny in the king size bed that it made him laugh to himself. His laugh must have been louder than he thought because Rachel rolled toward him and looked at him with bleary eyes.

"Finn?" she said, sitting up.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," he said quickly.

"Don't worry. I've already been out for a couple of hours," she said. Finn sat at the bottom of the bed, facing Rachel.

"Not that I mind, but what are you doing in my bed?" Finn asked.

"Oh. I was a little upset earlier and your bed just looked so warm and comfy that I couldn't pass it up," she said. She started running her fingers through her hair, fully expecting to have terrible bed head.

"Did something happen?" he asked, sounding a little anxious.

"It's nothing…" she said. Finn looked at her doubtfully. "I just… I saw Jesse earlier," she said quietly.

"Did he say anything to you?" Finn asked in a serious tone.

"No," Rachel said quickly. "I don't even think he saw me. He was with another girl."

"Oh," Finn said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said with a tight smile.

"I thought you didn't want to be with him anymore though," Finn said. He was hoping that Rachel was starting to get over Jesse. He was pretty sure that he was starting to develop feelings for this girl. Thinking she was jealous of his budding relationship made Finn just a little jealous, too.

"I don't want to be with him. Not at all," she said. "I just feel bad for the baby." She put her hands on her stomach, like she was cradling it. "I know how it feels for your parents to want nothing to do with you. I never wanted my children to ever feel that way, but Jesse wants nothing to do with the baby." Finn watched as tears filled her eyes.

Finn took off his shoes before climbing in the bed next to her. He pulled the covers up over himself before gently grabbing Rachel's arm and pulling her into his chest. She cried quietly as he held her.

"Rach, I know this baby's not mine, but I want to be there for the little guy or girl. We honestly haven't known each other that long, but I already care about the both of you. You guys don't really have anyone else and I'm more than willing to be there for the both of you. You can have the baby call me Uncle Finn or whatever you want. Just know that your baby will be loved by more than just you. This baby's part of you, so he or she deserves to have people there for them, just like you do. And I will be. If you let me," he said. He finished his speech, wondering how sappy he sounded. If Kurt were here, he would probably ask Finn when he started watching soap operas.

Rachel looked up at Finn with tears in her eyes.

"You don't know how much that means to me," she said with a watery smile.

"Just know that since I'm Uncle Finn now, I get to spoil this kid rotten," Finn said with a smirk.

"It also means that you're helping out with changing the diapers and babysitting," Rachel said with a laugh.

"We really don't have to take it that far," Finn said jokingly.

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CHRISTMAS EVE

It was the morning before Christmas and Rachel was both nervous and excited. She was excited because Sam was on his way with Finn's present. And she was nervous because she was going to see her fathers after Sam leaves.

She tidied up the already clean apartment while doing the laundry. She had just finished folding the last of Finn's clothes when she heard a knock on the door.

She smoothed her festive green dress and red tights before going to open the door.

Sam was standing there with a smile on his face and a huge drum in front of him.

"Merry Christmas Eve!" he said happily.

"Hey, Sam," she said, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.

"So, where do you want this?" he asked.

"Well, there's a bookcase that I can move to another wall and then we should have plenty of room for it," she said. "I already took everything out of the bookcase so that it wouldn't be too heavy."

Sam carried the huge drum in. "I'll go get the rest of this. Just wait here," Sam said.

"But I can help," Rachel said.

"It's pretty heavy and you're pregnant. No," Sam said firmly.

"Fine," Rachel huffed.

Fifteen minutes later, all of the pieces were in the apartment.

"How exactly are you going to hide a drum set?" Sam asked.

"Well, I have a large sheet. I'm just going to have to trust that he won't peek," Rachel said. "It's either that or make you skip Christmas with Mercedes and have you bring it over tomorrow."

"I see your point," Sam said. "So, where do you want to move the bookcase?"

Once the bookcase was moved, Rachel put the things back on the shelves while Sam put the drums together.

"You brought drumsticks, right?" Rachel asked once the bookcase was put back together.

"I'm not a total idiot," Sam said with a smirk. He reached into his back pocket and grabbed out two drumsticks.

"Thanks, Sam. You're amazing," she said with a smile.

Sam laughed. "Anyway, are you sure your neighbors won't complain?"

"Well, we live on the top floor, which is a plus. And everyone else in this building is older and slightly hard of hearing. And the walls aren't paper thin, so I think we're good to go," Rachel explained. "I thought this through thoroughly."

"I can see that," Sam said with another laugh. "Are you still seeing your dads today?" he asked a moment later.

"That's the plan," she said, sounding a little nervous.

"Do they still live in the same place?"

"They would never move. They love that house," she said with a warm smile.

"Well I'll give you a ride then. That's across town from here," Sam said.

"Thank you, Sam," Rachel said.

The drums were all ready to go. Rachel had already cleaned them yesterday at the music store, so they were all pretty and shiny. And they were a nice blue color, which Rachel knew was Finn's favorite. Sam helped her throw the sheet over them.

"What if Finn gets back before you?" he asked.

"He didn't start his shopping until today. I'll definitely be back before he's finished," Rachel said confidently.

"So he's a procrastinator?" Sam asked.

"You have no idea," Rachel said with a smile.

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"What do I do now?" Rachel asked from Sam's passenger seat.

"Well, I suggest you get out of the car and knock on the door, but what do I know?" he said jokingly. Rachel smiled and playfully shoved him. "I'll wait here until you're inside."

"Thanks, Sam," she said for the fifth time that day. She smiled at him bravely before opening the door and climbing out of Sam's van. As she walked up the steps to her fathers' home, she took deep, calming breaths. "Here goes nothing, baby," she whispered to her stomach.

She reached up and knocked on the door, still taking deep breaths.

She waited. And waited. And waited.

No one answered the door.

Rachel was confused. Her fathers always stayed in the city for the holidays. She decided to ask the neighbor if her fathers went away on vacation or something.

She knocked on the neighbors door and waited a few minutes. She smiled when the door was opened and she saw Mrs. Dennis. The woman looked the same as always. Her long, silver hair was done up in a ballerina bun and she was wearing one of her long, floral dresses.

"Mrs. Dennis! Do you remember me?" Rachel asked with a smile.

"How could I forget you, Rachel?" the woman said sweetly. "My husband misses that banana bread of yours."

"I'll be sure to make him some soon," Rachel said with a smile.

"That's so sweet of you, dear," Mrs. Dennis said. "May I ask what brings you back to the old neighborhood?"

"Well, I was looking for my dads. It's Christmas Eve after all and I wanted to drop by and surprise them. Did they decide to take a vacation this year or something?" Rachel asked.

Mrs. Dennis's face fell. "No one told you?" she asked.

"Told me what?" Rachel asked, feeling confused.

"Honey, your fathers passed away about a month ago. It was a car accident," she said, reaching out to place a hand on Rachel's arm.

"That can't be true," Rachel said, feeling stunned.

"I went to the funeral, sweetheart," Mrs. Dennis said with a frown. "I'm so sorry."

Rachel stood there for a few moments trying to gather her thoughts. "Would you like to come in?" Mrs. Dennis asked.

"No thank you," Rachel said in a small voice. "I really should be going." Mrs. Dennis nodded in understanding. "I'll come by sometime soon with that banana bread. Happy Holidays."

"The same to you, dear," Mrs. Dennis said. Rachel smiled tightly before turning and going back down the stairs.

She climbed into Sam's car quickly and buckled her seatbelt. "What's going on?" Sam said, noticing that something was wrong.

"Can you just take me home please?" Rachel asked in a monotone voice. Sam wanted to know what happened, but he just nodded before putting the car into drive and pulling out of his spot.

The drive back to the apartment was eerily silent. "Do you want to talk about it?" Sam asked once he was parked.

Rachel sat there for a few moments. "They died a month ago," she said quietly.

Sam blinked a few times, trying to absorb the news. "Rachel, I'm so sorry," he said just as quietly.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "I'll be fine. I always am."

"Do you want me to come in? We can talk," he said.

"It's fine, Sam," Rachel said, smiling a little. "Go spend Christmas Eve with Mercedes. I'm sure she'll love the ring you picked out. And if she's still as crazy about you as she was in high school, I'm positive she'll say yes."

Sam nodded with a smile. "If you need anything, you have my number," he said.

Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door.

"Merry Christmas, Sam," she said.

"Happy Holidays," Sam replied. She then climbed out and closed the door before going into the apartment building.

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Finn carried the bags up the stairs. All of the gifts were already wrapped, so he didn't have to worry about Rachel peeking in the bags or anything. He set down the bags in his right hand so that he could pull his keys out of his pocket. Once the door was opened, he picked the bags back up and walked inside, kicking the door shut behind him.

"I'm home, Rach," he said, walking into the living room. She was sitting on the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest in pajama pants and a tank top.

"Hi, Finn," she said with a small smile. "Did you get everything you need?"

"Yeah. Let me put this stuff down and I'll tell you what I got everyone," Finn said happily.

"Okay," Rachel said with another small smile.

He set the bags in his room and took his coat off, throwing it on the end of his bed. He shimmied out of his shoes before walking back in the living room. He sat next to Rachel and started talking excitedly.

"Alright. So, Kurt dropped off all of our old home videos to me at work and I got them put on DVD for my mom. And I got her a new photo album. Kurt told me that she needed a new one. He's getting her a gift certificate to the spa and some other stuff like that. Oh, and I got her a sweater, too. I had to call Kurt and ask what size she was, but I picked it out," he said with a smile. Rachel couldn't help but smile in return.

"Burt's usually hard to shop for, so me and Kurt chipped in and are getting him a new TV. It's not the newest model or anything, but it's a flat screen, and he's been wanting one. And I got Kurt a pair of pants that Blaine said he wanted. I got him this man purse thing, too. Blaine told me that he needed a new one of those.

"And I don't really know Blaine that well, but I do know that he loves Harry Potter, so I got him this box set of all the Blu-Rays of the movies. Kurt told me he's getting him a Blu-Ray player, so everything worked out," he said.

Rachel smiled at him. "I'm sure they'll love everything. Those gifts are very thoughtful, Finn," Rachel said.

"I guess. I used to just get them gift cards to their favorite stores or something, but Kurt told me that was too impersonal," Finn said, shrugging.

"I always appreciate a good gift card," Rachel said with a smile.

"I like them, too, but I took Kurt's advice anyway," Finn said. "So, how'd things go with your dads?"

Rachel froze for a moment. She had really hoped he wouldn't ask about it. She still hadn't even really processed the news. But she did cry for two hours after Sam dropped her off.

"Not so great," she said in a quiet voice.

"What happened?" Finn asked, scooting closer to her.

"I learned from my old neighbor that they… died. A month ago," she said in a near whisper.

"What?" Finn asked, sounding shocked.

"They died a month ago and no one told me about it," her voice was getting more and more firm. "I'm their damn daughter and no one told me my dads died!" She jumped off the couch and started pacing around the living room.

"But weren't you in their will or something? Someone has to tell you," Finn said. He watched Rachel pace back and forth.

"When we fought after graduation, I told them that I didn't want anything from them ever again. They wrote me out of their will," she said icily.

"Rach…" Finn said, unsure what to say.

"I just don't understand! Yes, they made me mad and yes they hurt me, but they're still my dads and NO ONE TOLD ME! How could they just cut me out of their life like that? They're supposed to love me unconditionally! I tried to visit them today and fix things only to find out that they're dead!" Rachel stopped pacing and stared at Finn. "They died thinking I hate them. And they died hating me," she said in a quiet voice.

"I'm sure they didn't hate you, Rach. And they know you didn't hate them, either," Finn said comfortingly.

"You don't know that!" she yelled. Angry tears were starting to fill her eyes. "Now my baby will never know them!"

Finn stood up and walked up to Rachel. He put his arms on her shoulders and looked at her seriously.

"You need to calm down," he said. Rachel's chest was heaving. "All this stress isn't good for the baby." Rachel dropped her head into her hands.

"You're right," he heard her say. "I'm sorry I shouted at you."

"Don't worry about it. I'd be freaked out if you didn't," he said. He then pulled Rachel in for a hug.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight? I don't want to be alone," Rachel asked quietly.

"Sure," Finn said.

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After a quiet dinner, Finn and Rachel sat on the couch. She was being fairly quiet, but Finn understood why. It's kind of hard to be okay after finding out that your parents were dead. Finn turned on something that he knew Rachel liked, but she still just sat there, lost in her own thoughts.

"Hey, Rach," Finn said, trying to get her attention. When she didn't answer after a few moments, he poked her.

"Yeah?" she said, turning to face him.

"I forgot to ask about the thing under the blanket over there," he said, pointing to the corner of the room.

Finn was glad to see her smile. "It's a surprise. You're not allowed to look until in the morning," she said. "Think you can handle waiting that long?"

"I think I can manage," Finn said. He didn't mean it, though. He really wanted to know what was under the blanket. But another part of him didn't want to ruin Rachel's surprise by peeking. So, he worked hard on not thinking about the blanket.

Rachel headed to bed before he did, explaining that she had to get up early to start cooking the food. She changed into pajamas and got into Finn's bed, facing the closet. She was a little nervous about sleeping in the same bed as Finn. She knew that she was starting to feel something for him, but she didn't want to make things awkward between them if he didn't reciprocate the feelings. And she was pretty positive that these feelings she's having are more than just gratefulness.

Finn was also nervous about sharing a bed with Rachel. He just didn't want to do the wrong thing and make her uncomfortable around him. He would be happy to get into bed with her and just hold her, but he wasn't sure if that's what she wanted. He knew that Rachel was still going through a lot and he didn't want her to feel like she had to repay him for anything. So, he would just play it cool until he knew she was interested, too.

By the time he went to bed, Rachel was sound asleep. He put his pajamas on in the bathroom before climbing in bed. Rachel was facing away from him, toward the closet. Finn just lied on his back and tried not to think about the fact that he had a gorgeous girl in his bed.

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Finn woke up in the middle of the night. He smiled widely when he realized that Rachel was lying on his chest and his arm was around her. He squeezed her tightly before drifting back off to sleep.

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Rachel woke up early the next morning after going to bed so early last night. She was surprised to see that she and Finn were quite close to one another. She was lying on his chest and he had his arm wrapped loosely around her waist. She didn't even remember rolling toward him last night!

She gently extracted herself from his grasp before getting out of the bed carefully, not wanting to wake him up. She glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was 7:00. Finn was usually getting ready for work right about now, but he had until the Monday after New Year's off of work. The colleges and high schools that he scouted weren't in session anyway, so there wasn't really a need for him to work.

She quietly grabbed her clothes from the dresser and closet before going in the bathroom to change.

She still had a couple of hours before she had to start making the food, so she quietly took the blanket off of the drum set, being careful to not hit one of the cymbals. When the blanket was off, she looked at the drum set in admiration. She knew he'd love it.

She folded up the blanket and put it back in the closet before turning the TV on and lowering the volume. Then, she anxiously waited for Finn to wake up.

Half an hour later, she heard him moving around in the bedroom.

"Rach?" he called. Rachel got up off the couch and went into the bedroom with a wide smile on her face.

"Merry Christmas, Finn," she said. He was standing by the dresser, rubbing his eyes.

"Merry Christmas," he said sleepily.

"Are you ready for your present?" she asked excitedly.

"Totally," Finn said quickly.

"Come here then," she said, waving him forward. He walked toward her. She pushed him in front of her and reached on her tippy toes to cover his eyes. "No peeking," she said.

"Don't let me walk into a wall," Finn laughed.

"I won't," Rachel giggled.

They walked into the living room awkwardly since Finn was so much taller than Rachel. She faced him toward the corner where his present was.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes," Finn said, sounding like an excited little kid.

Rachel laughed in anticipation before dropping her hands. She then stepped next to Finn to see his reaction.

"No freaking way!" he said in shock. He walked toward the drum set like a zombie. "How in the world did you get this?"

"I have my ways," Rachel said with a smile. He ran a hand over one of the symbols. "Do you like it?" she asked nervously.

"Are you kidding me? I love it!" he said, looking back at her with a wide smile. He then rushed at her and picked her up in a hug, swinging her around. "You're so awesome!" he said excitedly.

"I'm glad you think so," she laughed. He set her down. "Go play me something," she demanded with a smile.

"I'm gonna give you your presents first," he said. Before she could respond, he went into the bedroom and started rooting through the bags.

Rachel sat on the couch, absolutely ecstatic that he liked his present so much. She reminded herself to thank Sam again.

Minutes later, Finn walked into the living room with packages in his hands. He set them on the coffee table in front of Rachel.

"Open them," he said excitedly, sitting down next to her.

Rachel smiled before picking up the present on top of the stack. She opened it like she was a kid again, throwing paper all over the floor.

"Finn! Are these?..." she started to say.

"All of the Barbra Streisand movies I could find," he said happily. Rachel was holding 8 of Barbra's movies in her hands. One of which was one of her favorites of them all, Funny Girl.

"You do realize I'm going to make you watch all of them, right?" she said with a smile.

"I was afraid you would say that," Finn groaned, making Rachel laugh. She went for the next present and opened it quickly.

"You got me a phone?" she asked in shock.

"Sure did," Finn said with a smile. "This is so you can call me in case of emergencies or something. Or I can text you when I'm bored at work."

"This is already too much," she said, holding the box for the iPhone in her hand.

"I got a deal on it. It doesn't cost much more for you to be on my plan, so don't worry about it. This is in no way a big deal," he said.

Rachel looked at him and smiled.

"You've got two more to go," Finn said.

Rachel smiled before opening the smallest of the presents. She started crying when she saw the little green baby shirt that said "My Mommy Loves Me".

"Finn…" she said, wiping her eyes.

"I looked everywhere, but they didn't have one that said 'Finn Loves Me'." She dropped the shirt on the table before hugging him tightly.

"You're the most amazing man in the whole world," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Finn joked, hugging her back. He tried to sound nonchalant, but Rachel saying that just totally made his day. "You've got one more present to go. It's my favorite."

Rachel let go of Finn and wiped her eyes. She grabbed the last gift and unwrapped it. It was a box, so she pulled the lid off the top.

And laughed. "These are adorable!" she said, picking up the baby Converse sneakers.

"We don't know if the baby's a boy or a girl yet, so I got black ones instead of pink," he explained with a smile.

"They're perfect," she said, placing them back in the box. "These are the most thoughtful gifts I have ever gotten. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Finn said happily.

"Go play me a song now," she said.

"I was hoping you would say that," he said with a smirk before jumping off the couch.

Laughing, Rachel picked up the discarded wrapping paper off the floor and threw it away while Finn adjusted everything to his height. When she was finished, she sat back on the couch, facing Finn.

She was more than impressed when he played the drums for the song "Hot for Teacher." She was completely floored.

When he finished, she gave him a standing ovation, making Finn blush.

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Finn offered to help her make their Christmas lunch/dinner and she gave him the easiest jobs to do so that he wouldn't burn anything.

"You seem to be doing better today," he observed. "About your dads and everything I mean."

"I'm dealing with it," she said calmly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm missing them and thinking about them, but I don't want to be upset during Christmas."

"I don't like seeing you upset," Finn said, stirring the gravy. "But today's been one of the best Christmases I've ever had."

"Same here," Rachel agreed with a smile.

"But you're Jewish. This is your first Christmas," he said in confusion.

"Exactly. So it's automatically the best," she said with a smile.

TBC

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A/N: Up next: New Year's! Valentine's Day is coming up, too. Will we see Finn and Rachel get closer? Read and find out :)