A/N: Hello again! As always, I own nothing, yadda yadda.

She had to admit, she wasn't used to seeing him this way. She'd always considered herself to be the dramatic one. She had expected a reaction, but the way he'd made a beeline out of the choir room alarmed her. And the look on his face… she'd never seen him like that. She looked frantically for him until she found in sitting in a corner of the weight room with his earphones in his ears. She doubted that he noticed her, since he was still tapping his foot and mimicking drum beats with his hands. He yanked the earphones out of his ears and clenched his jaw when he saw her and quickly turned his head the other way. She hesitated for a moment as she walked towards him, unsure if he wanted to see her. She approached him and sat on the floor next to him, despite her doubts of the floor's state of cleanliness. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she nodded towards the MP3 player he was holding.

"What were you listening to?" Rachel asked nervously.

"Pantera," Finn answered coolly, still avoiding her eyes.

How could she do that song in front of everyone? Isn't it bad enough that she ran away from me the yesterday? In a way I guess I deserve it, I mean I did sort of do the same thing … but … hell. I just love her so much … how can we fix this? It still hurts so bad …

Why won't he look at me? What I did is no worse than what he did yesterday. Maybe I went too far talking about our last kiss… does he even remember it? He has to. We almost kissed yesterday afternoon … why didn't we? Oh yeah … 'he couldn't do it'. But why? Cannons … doesn't he want that for us? If he could go back to Quinn after everything that had happened last year, why can't he forgive me? Something's going on between them, but what? I'm not sure I want to know. I just want to fix us … but can we go back? No, we can't go back. But we can fix it, can't we? I just love him so much …

"Why did you run out of glee?" she asked him. She had a million other questions, but she figured this one would suffice for now. He shrugged.

"Why did you run out yesterday?" his eyes finally met hers with a smirk. She looked at his face and studied it for a moment before answering. The eyes that had once glistened and that used to meet her with joy when she saw them now appeared to be lifeless and had dark circles surrounding them as if he hadn't slept well for weeks. It had been a while since she had studied them this closely. She remembered a time when she saw everything in those eyes … she still did.

"Touché," she said simply. Another period of silence passed before she spoke again, "Sorry about going off on you yesterday. I'm sure that you remember ho-"

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize, f'real," he interrupted. He peered up at her to see the surprised look on her face and a small laugh escaped his lips.

"No, really. It's okay, Rach. In some ways I guess I kind of deserved that speech. I knew it would come eventually."

She didn't know what to say. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? She had expected an all out brawl of a fight when she found him and was ready for that, but she wasn't going to complain with the civility that was taking place. She just didn't know how to react to it. Rachel sat there running her palms against her jeans nervously. She had so many questions … but was now the right time for any of them? Her voice quivered with the next thing she spoke.

"The … the song you sang yesterday … it … you performed it well," that wasn't she'd wanted to say. This was all just so awkward. They may have shared a hug last week to try and overcome it, but it was still there.

"Rachel … why did you follow me?" he looked at her and she looked back at him, unsure of what to say. He could see her chocolate eyes become glassy as she turned her gazed back toward the floor. He'd asked the question, but he already knew the answer. They both did. It wasn't over between them, but they were both hurting too badly for things to be repaired right now.

"Why are you able to forgive Quinn but not me?" she broke the silence. He had expected that question at some point and he'd even asked it himself. He took a deep breath as he began to explain.

"Rachel, you don't get it. What she did, just on the surface was worse. She slept with my best friend and had his baby and let me think that I was the baby daddy. She let me deal with the worry and the sleepless nights and the mood swings and doctor bills while Puck didn't say a damn word. Yeah, it hurt. And it sucked. But underneath all of that hurt and pain I felt relieved, as insane as that sounds. Y'know why? It meant I could be with you and didn't have to worry about feeling like a douche for leaving the girl that I thought was having my baby. I could move on without that chain tying me down.

"But when you told me you kissed Puck … I didn't know what to do. It felt like my whole world had just come crashing down around me. I love … I loved you, Rachel. What Quinn did was worse, but the way it made me feel was nothing in compared to the pain I felt when I found what happened between you and Puck because I didn't love Quinn … but I loved you. And yeah, I was hurting. Truthfully I still am. I hate what's going on between us, but I'm not ready yet. It still hurts too bad. I still have too much to work through."

She sat there dumbfounded. She was hoping for an answer, and she got it, but it wasn't quite the one she had expected. Loved her … he didn't say he still did. He hesitated, though … did he still? Before she could say anything, he continued.

"And I'm not dumb, Rachel. I see how much stronger you're getting. I see the way you laugh at lunch with the other girls and I see how much independence you're gaining. You think I don't pay attention, but I do. Being with me would just hold you back. I've held you back enough … I can't do that to you. I can't let you need me like that."

He can't let me need him? Who the hell does he think he is? Since when does he think he knows what's best for me? She had to calm herself down before another outburst occurred.

"Finn … I may appear to be stronger and more independent, but you forget that I hope to spend my life on the stage," she said. He felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. "When we broke up, I figured I would approach it as a role I had to play … you know … the girl that got stronger after her heart had been ripped from her chest. But the truth is, Finn, I've never felt so small. So alone. I may have friends around me, but I still don't have you." There were tears rolling down her cheeks when he finally looked back to her. He knew exactly how she felt. Finn felt a solitary tear fall down his face.

"Rachel …" it was all that he was able to mutter. Why did it have to come to this? He loved her too damn much. He pulled her close as she began to sob. He'd wanted to protect her through all of this, but what he realized was that he was just making things worse. He realized that what hurt more than her kissing Puck was being apart from her. He placed his hand on her head and nestled his own head into her neck. He'd missed this. He tried to choke back his own sobs, but there were still a few tears that refused to be tamed. He lifted his head and rested it on top of hers as she continued to sob into his chest. He ran his hand through her hair and tried his best to comfort her without saying anything except her name and telling her it would be alright between hushes as he held her close with his other hand. She raised her head from his chest and sniffed before apologizing for the outburst. She stood up quickly and he stumbled to get up and go after her. She turned around and looked at him with tears still in her eyes.

"I… I'm sorry. I should've never … I'm just sorry that happened, okay?" she turned to leave when he called out to her.

"Rachel!" He ran to catch up to her and placed his fingertips under her chin so she was looking up at him.

"For what it's worth, I never thought we'd have a last kiss, either."

He gave her a half-smile as a consolation before turning to walk away. Rachel took in a deep breath and stormed toward him.

"Finn," she grabbed his hand and he turned around in surprise. "It doesn't have to be like this, y'know."

"I know. And that's what makes it so hard. I care about you Rachel, I do. But it's best that it ends this way. You're destined for so much more than what me or this town could ever give you. Don't you see that, Ra-"

She cut him off with a kiss before he could continue. He felt the cannons, sure, but it's quickly overtaken by thoughts of Puck hovering over her, kissing her lips and running his hands through her hair … he was unable to deal with the imagery in his head. He was furious and pulled away with a growl.

"Rachel, can't you see we can't keep doing this? I want things to be okay between us, but I just, I can't get the image of you and Puck out of my head. Every time I see you I want to make things right, but Rachel I can't get past him being with you. Even if I were, it would only be a matter of time before you'd leave for New York and then where would we be? My grades aren't good enough to go to New York with you and even if they were the money I would get from my dad's military service wouldn't be able to pay the out-of-state tuition. We'd have to break up sooner or later, Rachel. I'm not going to hold you back from your dreams. It's best that it ended now. At least this way we can work on being friends and enjoy the time we have left." He looked at her, his eyes becoming watery yet again, finally telling her what he'd wanted to say for so long. He didn't want to be this emotional. Actually, he'd never been this emotional.

"The same way I can't get the image of you and Santana out of my head? Finn, look at me. I love you. Okay? Do you think that this is easy for me, to see you live your life and to pretend like we were never together? Look, I know that you and Quinn are back together. If that's what you want, and if you're truly happy, then fine. But don't go to her just to get back at me. And what you don't realize, Finn Hudson, is that you never held me back. You never will, okay? We both know that I'm too headstrong for that to happen. If anything, Finn, you've been my greatest motivator and the one person that's always encouraged me when everyone else was trying to throw me offstage and you know it. Finn … what we had was real. What we have is real. I know that you're afraid of losing your popularity. I get it. But at some point you're going to have to ask yourself which is more important- your relationships or your reputation."

He winced, thinking back to a time when he'd told her the same thing about her own reputation after the train wreck that was Run Joey Run. And how did she know about his relationship with Quinn? It didn't matter. He knew she was right- it's always been real between them. Was he happy with Quinn? He thought he was until he kissed Rachel. Or did Rachel kiss him? He couldn't remember. But he knew that nothing compared to the way that he felt when he and Rachel were together.

"How did you know about me and Quinn?" This time it was Rachel that winced. Quinn had told her, but she refused to believe it until she heard it from him. She shook her head and put her hand to her forehead before turning to leave. He gently took hold of her arm and turned her so that she was facing him before taking both of her hands in his. She refused to look at him, looking away as her eyes became glassy yet again. He didn't want her to find out, knowing that she wouldn't take the news well. How could he screw her up so much? He felt like the jackass he'd accused Jesse of being a year ago. He swore to himself then that he'd never do that to her, and here he was breaking her yet again. Way to go, Hudson, he told himself.

"Look, when we broke up, I was a mess. Maybe I still am. She was there and, well, it just sort of happened. But what I feel for Quinn …," they were staring into each others eyes as he continued, "what I feel for Quinn, felt for Quinn, is nothing to what I feel for you. Which is why it's so complicated. Hell, Rach, if I had the words for it, I'd explain it. But I can't, which is why I need time."

She separated one of her hands from his to slide a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear and slowly began walking down the hallway, avoiding the choir room where they would surely be seen.

"So are you saying that you and Quinn aren't together anymore?" She asked, the hope and quiver in her voice not going unnoticed by the tall boy still holding one of her hands.

"I don't know. We were, are, I guess. But Quinn's just so obsessed with prom that I'm beginning to wonder if that's all she wants me for." Her heart sank to hear that they were still together. She wasn't sure what was happening between them, but she wasn't going to let go of his hand until she had to. It felt too good to be able to touch him like this and she wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"What clued you into that, the posters she's been hanging around the school or her constant communication with the prom committee?"

"Wait, she has posters made?" The expression on his face made it obvious that he had no clue what she was talking about and Rachel was surprised at his reaction. On second thought, it wasn't that surprising. The majority of the posters were in the girls' restrooms. She picked up the pace in her step and he followed her, still puzzled.

"Wait, Rach, I can't -" but it was too late. She'd pulled him into the closest restroom and pointed to the sign before speaking to him with a certain attitude to her tone.

"You mean you had no part in making that poster?" He gazed at it in shock.

"Fuinn for the win… The popular choice for prom king and queen? What the hell? I swear to you, Rachel, I've never seen that before in my life. How dare she do something as … as bitchy as that! I am so sorry Rachel, I'd never do anything like that because I know how much that would hurt you. I'd never do anything to hurt you …" his voice trailed as he turned to look at her. Her eyes met his, and for a brief moment they forgot that they were both standing in the girls' bathroom. He stepped towards her, closing the distance between them. Her breath caught in her throat as he slowly leaned in towards her, unsure of what he was about to do. He paused for a moment to breathe her in. Her soft vanilla perfume resonated in his memory, taking him back to a time when they were happy in each other's arms. He grazed his left hand across her right arm and she looked to his hand in surprise. His right hand moved slowly and found its place softly behind her neck as he pulled her in. He kissed her softly, smiling that he still recognized the flavor of her lip gloss. Quinn had worn the same stuff a couple of times, and when he kissed Quinn and tasted it his lips could only long for Rachel's. Thankful that he didn't have to long for them anymore, he pulled her in closer and deepened the kiss, determined to let her know that his feelings for her hadn't changed.

She had dreamed of this moment ever since they had broken up. Granted, not in the girls' bathroom, but she couldn't believe what was taking place. He had kissed her. She felt the kiss becoming more passionate as he pulled her in closer. It was when she felt their hips pressing against one another that she pulled away. His lips had tried to follow hers and his face was flushed. His breathing was heavy and looked confused as she walked out into the hallway. He followed her and faced her when she turned to speak.

"Finn, I can't do this … as much as I want to be with you, I can't be the other woman. I can't sit around hoping you'll come back to me when you're with her. If you really want to fix us, then figure out what you want. I've come too far to be sidetracked by a kiss. You're still a mess, Finn. Don't you see that? I care about you, and I wouldn't say it unless I thought you needed to hear it, but you really need to get your priorities figured out. If you want you and I to work this, this thing out then you and I both know what you need to do." She stared at him with such a determined look on her face, even though her cheeks were still flushed from their earlier encounter.

He stood there taking it all in. It hurt, but he knew that she was right. He was still a mess. How had it come to this point? He didn't know, but he knew that he had to get himself straightened up before he tried to fix anything between him and Rachel. He'd charged ahead with a relationship with Quinn without even thinking. Quinn had initiated it and he just went along with it without resistance. She'd caught him off guard with a pretty smile and firework kisses and hadn't been able to look past the façade that she so cleverly put up. She'd fooled him again. His thoughts were interrupted yet again by Rachel's small voice.

"Look, I know all of this has happened fast. Just … just … I'll see you in Glee tomorrow, okay?" She stood on her tip toes and put her hands on his shoulders. She gave him a peck on the cheek and let her eyes linger looking into his as she pulled away, her hands gliding down his arms before taking hold of his hands. It was obvious to both of them that neither one of them wanted to leave the other's company. It was a hard blow to both of them, but they both knew that now was not the time for their reconciliation to take place. They had gotten over the confrontation that each of them were dreading and now they could each focus on what needed to be focused on. For him, it was trying to figure out how he'd gotten to the point of being with someone he didn't love and getting over the hurt that he felt for the person he did. For her, it was trying to regain the fearless strength that she'd once had while still being head-over-heels for the boy that had stolen her heart - no, that she'd given her heart to - and making up for her past mistakes. She gave him a knowing smile as she squeezed his hands. Unwilling to let go, he kept his left hand in her right as they walked toward the exit of the school and didn't let go until they got to the door.

"See you tomorrow," she said meekly.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

And with that, she walked out into the coolness of early spring, the wind blowing her hair into her face. He smiled to himself as she gave the invisible wind an evil look and tried to tame the hair that blocked her view. He didn't know when or how, but he knew that he had to make things right … that they had to make things right. It wouldn't be an easy road, but he told himself that it would be worth it. And the great thing about it? He didn't feel the need to convince himself- he knew that they would be okay.

"What are you looking at?" a voice from behind said as it startled him out of his dream state. He turned to see Quinn rounding the corner from another hallway as she made her way towards him.

"Oh, hey Quinn. I was just, ah, looking outside at the wind. It's really blowing hard today," he said as he turned around to ensure that Rachel was no longer in view. Things didn't need to get any more complicated than what they already were. The blonde nodded her head and gave him a quick kiss. She took his hand and walked out with him, pulling herself closer to him in the brisk wind.

She looked up to the dark haired boy holding her hand and sighed, noticing the redness and distance in his eyes as she licked her lips walking with him through the parking lot. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she tasted lip gloss … and not the peach kind that she had worn that day. She knew that he wasn't fully over her. Give it time, she told herself, give it time. He'll forget about her once she goes off to Broadway or wherever, and then Finn and I can be the king and queen of Lima again. She didn't really believe it, but it did give her enough comfort to move his hand to her shoulders as she hugged herself closer to him in the cool spring air. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as she felt his uneasiness in his embrace.

A/N: So what did you think? I know it's lengthy, but I couldn't see anywhere that I could split it into two chapters and I didn't want it to be just a surface-level chapter. There's just so much that each of them are dealing with that they needed to talk about and I didn't want to skip over any of it. At any rate, please review and let me know what you think! It feeds me muse and keeps writer's block at bay. :)