DISCLAIMER: I do not own GLEE.
Chapter 4.
She had been grilled by her well-meaning best friend on their way home about her chat with 'Christopher Reeves Light'; she had been cagey with her answer and had immediately taken off with Beth once they were through the door.
"I can't watch another Wiggles DVD, I had Big Red Car stuck in my head all day yesterday." Indi declared throwing the remote at the floor. "Can we take her for a walk or something?"
Rachel considered the suggestion, it was a nice evening and a long walk usually helped clear her mind.
"I think that's a great idea. I'll get her stroller together and we can leave in a few minutes."
Indi cheered and ran upstairs for her shoes, Beth watched happily as the two girls ran around laughing whenever Indi bumped into something cursed and Rachel would yell 'Language!'
"This really is Pleasantville." Indi looked over at the park, which was filled with kids running around and parents watching over them. "An ice cream van just went by!"
"I don't think they have slushie facials in an idyllic town." Rachel replied pushing the stroller, Beth was gurgling away playing with the care bear she had gotten her. This was one thing you definitely could not do in New York, walking was a way of getting somewhere not for just because.
"I still can't believe that girl Mercedes, I swear one hour with Mr Mandell and she'd be rendered mute which I think would be a blessing instead of having to put up with her attitude."
"Mercedes is actually quite talented, she has the strongest voice in the school after me. I would assume most of my solos would have fallen to her. It's no wonder she is less than thrilled by my reappearance." Rachel explained, focusing her attention on Indi and not the path in front of her. "Mr. Schue usually relegated her to long notes of wailing at the end of a number."
"The girl's a diva and not in the Divine Miss M sense of the word." Indi argued, she too was looking at Rachel and not the jogging teen who was staring at his iPod. Beth was the only one who noticed but lacked the necessary skills to point this out.
"She always resented-"
The teen who had been jogging was now partially under a stroller that was carrying a crying baby. Rachel yanked the stroller back quickly pulling Beth out quickly and singing softly to hush her.
"Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky you'll get by
If you smile through your pain and sorrow"
Beth settled easily, her head lolling against Rachel's shoulder, while Indi checked over the stroller and the teen for damage, in that order.
"I am so sorry, I didn't see you." Rachel apologized her eyes travelling up over the worn grey McKinley High hoodie and to the boys face. "Finn."
"Finn?" Indi's eyebrows shot up, eyes raking over the tall teen. "As in Finn 'Douchebag Extraordinaire, Asshole, Bastard of epic proportions' Finn?"
Rachel had come a long way over the last year but Indi knew that the scars from Finn Hudson still ran deep, and she had always wanted to meet the asshole that had screwed over Rachel.
"Indi, language." Rachel muttered still staring at Finn who was staring back at her.
"You're a real creep you know that?" Indi told him taking advantage of Rachel's shock. "It takes a special kind of jerk to not apologize because his insecure bitchy slut of a girlfriend told him he couldn't. Did she return your testicles when you broke up or are they still bronzed on her shelf?"
Finn managed to tear his eyes away from Rachel to look at Indi in confusion.
"What?"
"That was my fault I forget to translate into jackass: You're girlfriend was a bitch and you should have apologized to Rachel." Indi said slowly making sure to enunciate every word and roll her eyes.
"Indigo!" Rachel all but screeched cheeks flamed in embarrassment.
"It's the truth!"
"Who are you?" Finn asked, obviously he had not been paying attention to the gossip mill at McKinley this week.
"Indigo Davis. I'm Rachel's best friend and you are public enemy number one as far as I'm concerned." Indi introduced herself smirking. "Come on Rachel let's go."
Her conversation with Artie still fresh in her mind Rachel resisted Indi's attempts to pull her away.
"Go on ahead with Beth, I need to speak with Finn for a moment."
"You don't owe him anything." Indi reminded her taking Beth and placing her back in the stroller carefully.
"I know, I have to do this for me." Rachel told her. "I love you for caring but I'll be fine."
"Okay but remember to bend with your knees."
"I will." Rachel laughed softly, she highly doubted she would need to use any of her fighting moves on Finn. She stared at Indi's back pushing Beth along until they were around the corner and her eyes were forced to return to Finn.
"I didn't recognize you."
His hair was longer than she remembered and he had definitely lost weight, his face looked sunken and if she was honest he really did look every bit as terrible as the trio of boys had suggested. In the face of such sadness she couldn't bring herself to use the attitude she had adopted with the other glee clubbers.
"I wasn't paying attention." He mumbled waving his iPod slightly. "Sorry."
"It was an accident and no one was hurt." She replied, now she knew what awkward small talk really was.
"Whose baby was that?" It blurted out of his mouth without a thought, anything really to keep the conversation going.
Rachel's face hardened, Beth was always going to be a sensitive subject to her.
"My sister, Beth." She answered evenly not offering any more information. Finn reached forward and grasped her arm softly.
"I'm really glad you're back. Everything sucked after you left."
Rachel yanked her arm away and bit her lip not sure how exactly she was supposed to respond. Finn kicked at the ground hoping she would say something, anything.
"So I've heard. Though I don't know why everyone thinks that it is my duty to fix that, I was merely doing what I was ordered to do. What you wanted."
So maybe her attitude had crept back in a little.
"I was an idiot."
"I wholeheartedly concur." Rachel muttered staring at the ground. "I have to get back to Beth."
"Rachel wait." Finn's voice was filled with earnestness; it stopped her in her tracks. "There are things I need to tell you, things you should know."
"You've had a year to tell me things Finn. To pick up a phone, write a letter, e-mail. I understand people still train carrier pigeons and you can even arrange singing telegrams. Obviously whatever needs to be said can't be that important, it's not imperative for me to live so I think I'll pass on that conversation."
"I didn't think you'd listen!" He called after her. She didn't want to prove him right so she slowed her steps. Taking that as permission to continue he took a step towards her. "I should have broken up with Quinn the second I realized I liked you. But I'm an idiot so I stayed with her, and she and Puck were always pressuring me about stepping up and being a man with the baby. When Jacob posted that article it was like everything became real, I couldn't handle it and I took it out on you. I wanted to apologize right away but Quinn went off at me about being the kind of guy that cheats and is a deadbeat dad and I didn't want that."
"How exactly is apologizing for jumping to conclusions and basically calling me a pathetic person cheating?" Rachel asked turning to face him.
"I don't know but at the time I listened to her." Finn scratched his neck, which meant he was nervous she remembered. "Puck finally confessed that it was his baby and I just snapped. Quinn was going to let me ruin my life for her, for a baby that wasn't even mine! She was going to let me be miserable because she didn't want to be alone. She was with Puck because she was jealous of you! She knew I was falling for you."
"I know all of this, Kurt, Puck and Artie have all told me this story." Rachel said suddenly tired, this was far too draining a conversation to be having right now.
"That's because when I was yelling at them, the thing I was most angry about was you. Because of their lies and my stupidity based on those lies, you left. The one good thing in my life was gone and because of them I had ruined it."
"This all happened months ago! Why should I even care?" She challenged needing a new answer.
"Because my life has been miserable without you. Since I found out I've been so depressed, I was so angry at them for lying. And I was hurt about the baby but kind of relieved too. And I needed to talk about it with someone. I needed you. You're the only one I can talk to about anything, you listen and you don't make me feel like an idiot." He smiled slightly, his dimples making the smallest of appearances. "When I heard you were back I was so happy and then I freaked out. I figured you wouldn't want anything to do with me, so I avoided you when all I've wanted to do was talk to you."
"Well now you've talked to me." Rachel stated. "Is everything fine now?"
"No but just knowing you're here helps." He answered honestly.
"Let me make one thing clear to you." Rachel said slowly. "I'm here in this town but I am in no way here for you. You broke me last year, you and that glee club who never accepted me. As far as I'm concerned you are as bad as Puck and Quinn. They lied to you and hurt you. What makes you think you are any better?"
Finn was silent and Rachel took advantage of that to make her escape, tears sprung to her eyes and she wiped them away hastily. She had wanted to feel nothing but white-hot hatred for Finn, to see him and not have her whole body hum. He still got to her; she wasn't going to let him know that though.
GLEE
Through a series of bribes, threats and outright blackmail Rachel had shown up to each glee rehearsal and it was obvious she would rather be anywhere else.
"Does anyone have a suggestion?" Mr. Schuester asked exasperated, the kids were all fairly quiet the only one who showed any sign of life was Rachel and she was texting on her phone and not paying any attention to either him or the
club.
"I have one Mr. Schuester." Finn spoke up. Now everyone looked alive, Finn hadn't voluntarily sang in glee club for months, spending most of his time in the back singing along quietly if at all.
"That's great! The floor is yours." Mr. Schuester gestured climbing the risers and taking an empty seat in the middle.
"Who are you texting?" Indi asked peering over Rachel's shoulder, Finn was still getting ready so she wasn't being rude. Not that she cared really.
"None of your business." Rachel replied shoving her phone in her bag. Trying to surprise Indi was like trying to surprise a psychic, impossible.
"You know I'll find out sooner or later." She teased trying to tickler Rachel.
"My lips are sealed." She pantomimed zipping her lips closed, besides she'd only be keeping this secret for another few minutes she couldn't crack now.
"So this week we were supposed to pick a song that expresses how we feel about another person in this group." Finn began glancing around the room.
"Do you think Mr. Schue would let me get away with singing You're going to die alone?"
"I think if you don't want people to know who your father is you should stop singing his songs." Rachel whispered back although silently giggling at the image.
"I think we all know who I'm singing about."
He actually managed to lock eyes with her then the corners of his mouth pulling into a smile. She'd always loved his goofy half smile that she couldn't help but return.
"They said love hurts
I wrote that book
I climbed that wall
I had one look
but you just came around
to say hello."
Brad was the only one accompanying him; Finn was sitting on a stool and only looking at her even if she was fighting to not keep eye contact.
"The streets were filled
with guilty hearts
and here was I right from the start
and I lost everything
when I lost you"
Indi kept elbowing her; she wasn't going to fall to mush just because he was singing to her; serenading her with a really sweet song.
"So tell me why
should I let you go.
Give me twenty good reasons
I need to know yeah"
Okay so not only now was Finn serenading her but Puck, Kurt and Artie were all staring at her without any subtlety at all.
"And at that point
there was no pain
there was no sky
there was no rainfall
all there was
was you
and your sweet face.
But life is life
and things will change
like scenes upon an actor's stage.
Tomorrow comes today
for all we know."
Great, now it was everyone that was staring at her; Santana was even pointing and laughing about something with Brittany.
"So tell me baby why
should I let you go
give me twenty good reasons
I need to know
give me twenty good reasons
give me twenty good reasons
give me twenty good reasons
to let you go."
Oh god, his eyes had finally latched onto hers and it was making it hard to breathe. She was strangling Indi's hand with her own and fighting the urge to run.
"so tell me baby why
should I let you go?
give me twenty good reasons
I need to know, yeah
tell me baby why
should I let you go?
give me twenty good reasons
I need to know.
give me twenty good reasons
give me twenty good reasons
I need to know yeah.
Give me twenty good reasons
give me twenty good reasons
give me twenty good reasons."
Artie started the applause whooping loudly for his friend, the girls who hated her gave polite claps and glared at her, how awesome.
"Thanks." Finn mumbled shuffling back to his seat no longer staring at her.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE LATELY!"
Saved by the bell, Rachel sent a quick thanks to whoever had saved her yanking the phone from the depths of her bag. Everyone was staring at her probably wondering who the hell would be calling her and how she knew a song that had never been featured in a musical.
"Hello?"
To everyone's disappointment she stepped outside to take the phone call.
"I can barely hear you!" She shouted into the phone, all she could hear was static.
"I said this school is really hard to navigate." Jackson repeated reaching over and snapping Rachel's phone shut. "Hey Ohio."
Rachel jumped; almost literally he was a lot taller than her, into his arms hugging him. Jackson returned the hug lifting her up.
"I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow?" She exclaimed still folded up in his arms.
"I had to hedge my bets in case you told Indi." Jackson explained, "So this is the choir room right?"
Without letting her go he kicked the door open as always having to make the rock star entrance.
"Jackson put me down!"
Indi's eyes widened, so much for no one working out her lineage, somehow hiding that her brother was Jackson Davis would be hard when he was standing in front of twelve people, granted they were twelve incredibly stupid people.
"Is that Jackson Davis?"
"Hey Jacks." Indi greeted still happy to see her brother even under the circumstances, he put Rachel down and barrelled her into a bear hug.
"How does man hands know Jackson Davis?" Quinn asked Mercedes not even bothering to lower her voice.
"Sorry for the intrusion Mr Schuester, Jackson wasn't meant to be here until tomorrow." Rachel apologized.
"No problem Rachel, I had no idea Indigo was-"
"The daughter of Ditch Davis and sister of Jackson Davis?" Indi interrupted rolling her eyes. "Yeah I try not tell people, they always act weird around me once they know."
"I'd really appreciate it if you guys could keep this a secret, I just want to visit with Indi and Ohio here before I have to head back to the studio." Jackson asked turning on the charm and smiling at everyone. Indi glared at Santana who was attempting eye sex with her brother; even he had better taste than that.
"Of course." Mr Schuester answered for all of them. "We've only got a little while left would you like to join us?"
"Sure, I love watching my girls perform." Jackson winked at Rachel, she resisted the urge to elbow him, she thought he'd been kidding about flirting with her to make Finn jealous.
"Your girls?" Santana snickered. "How can a hot slice like you be turned on by a drag queen like Berry?"
"Santana we talked about this." Mr Schuester warned, not that it did much. "So who's next? Puck? Kurt?"
Both boys shook their heads, no one really wanted to screw up in front of the guy who had just won best male artist at the Grammy awards.
"Anybody? Rachel?"
"Since everyone else is obviously too intimidated by Jackson I guess I'll have to perform."
Rachel couldn't help letting a little bit of her old attitude seep in, it was a defence mechanism now that everyone knew about Indi they would be trying to be all buddy-buddy.
"Actually I'll need a little help on this one. Guys?"
Jackson and Indi got up and moved to Rachel, huddling while she whispered, of course now would be the one time the usually loud girl was able to be quiet.
"I'd like to dedicate this to the one decent person in this group, a person that if you guys aren't careful you will run them out just like you did to me." Rachel looked over at Artie and shot him a wink which caused the tips of his ears to go red. "It's not how I feel about this person but how I think we both have been made to feel by certain people."
"This is actually a song Rach inspired me to write after she told me about you guys so I guess it's only fitting that you get to hear it." Jackson told them sending poisonous looks to the group, he'd had to be talked out of ordering a hit on some of these kids, after Indi had adopted Rachel he'd taken her on as a little sister.
"There once was a wrong, thought it was right
There once was a truth that thought it could lie
Then they saw
They were nothing new at all."
Rachel closed her eyes swaying slightly, she'd loved this song ever since Jackson had written it, he had refused to put it on the new album saying it was hers.
"After the storm, along came the landslide
Would they climb? Would they swim? Time to decide
If I had to choose
I know what I'd do."
Opening her eyes she walked slowly towards Artie taking a seat on his lap and slinging an arm around his neck.
"You wanted me to be a mountain
I'd rather be a river
Water flow can wash a hill away
You wanted me to fly
I want to get high
How else am I gonna see what I want to see?"
Ruffling his hair she stood up and walked over to Jackson who was playing the piano with ease, Brad looked slightly put out to not be the one tinkling with the keys. Sitting next to him they sang together, like they had dozens of times before.
"I am for now, you are forever
And behind the rust is buried treasure
Is it gold?
Is it something we can hold?"
If she closed her eyes again she could almost pretend they were back in New York just messing around in Jackson's studio.
"All will come and go (all will come and go)
All will come and go (like a river flow)
I always knew
What I had to do
You wanted me to be a mountain
I'd rather be a river
Water flow can wash a hill away
You wanted me to fly
I want to get high
How else am I gonna see what I want to see?"
It didn't work, the second she opened her eyes she was back in that tiny choir room with roughly ten very pissed off people glaring at her.
"I always knew
There was rust between the truth
I always knew
What I had to do
You wanted me to be a mountain
I'd rather be a river
Water flow can wash a hill away
You wanted me to fly
I want to get high
How else am I gonna see what I want to see?
(You want me to be a mountain)
You want me to be a river
Water flow can wash that hill
Wash it away, wash it away
(You wanted me to fly)
Ooh, you wanted me to fly
How else am I gonna see what I want to see?"
Jackson showed off by playing a big finish, if Indi were in a better mood she would have challenged him with a drum solo but she could tell Rachel was dying to get out there.
"I hope that was okay Mr. Schuester."
"It was amazing, thank you so much for playing for us Jackson." Mr. Schuester shook his hand a little too enthusiastically and for a little too long but Jackson was a trooper and held in there, pun intended.
"We should get going." Indi decided, apparently Santana had not gotten the hint that she would rip out her fake hair if she came near her brother. "Did you bring Josef?"
"Had to, Mark wouldn't let me visit unless he came with."
"Great." Indi smiled devilishly. "Can you bring him in?"
Even Puck seemed to pale when the Arnold Schwarzenegger-like black shirt and pants clad man stepped into the room, he had to duck just to enter.
"This is Josef, if any of you spill the beans about Jackson he will come for you and no one will ever find the bodies." Indi locked eyes with each glee clubber making sure her words landed. "Have a great night!"
"Damn Berry, you finally found a chick who's even crazier than you." Puck grumbled once Indi had stepped out with Josef and Jackson leaving Rachel to grab their bags.
"She wasn't kidding." Rachel replied resisting her instinct to smirk at him. "He's done worse to people for less."
Artie wheeled over to her and took the bags off her sticking them on his lap.
"Thank you." He said softly ignoring the group's not at all quiet conversation. "It really means a lot to me."
"You're welcome." She replied steering them towards the door. "Would you like to join us tonight? We're probably just going to spend our evening at my house catching up, jamming a little."
"Did Rachel Berry just say jamming?"
"You pick up a few things in New York." Rachel giggled. "You never know, you could end up with a co-writing credit on his new album."
"Just because you managed to fool some rich bitch into liking you and suddenly have a celebrity connection doesn't mean we're going to like you, or even be nice to you." Santana called out.
"And here I thought such a lecherous group would be salivating at the thought of getting close to a grammy winner." She shot back. "I'm sick of repeating myself but apparently your puny little brains are unable to comprehend even the most simple sentences. I do not care what you think, I do not care about how you feel. I do not care what you think or feel about me because honestly the opinions of a whole bunch of people who peaked in high school and will spend the rest of their lives thinking about the good old days when they were popular just don't matter to me."
"Oh snap." Artie mumbled from beside her, the group did not appreciate it one bit.
"Santana you are a mean bitch, the only reason people speak to you is so they can sleep with you which is hardly a challenge or because they are terrified of whatever vicious thing you might do to them. Quinn, you call yourself a Christian, tell me where in the bible does it say that you should bully people? Where does it say that you should act superior to all those around you when in fact you are the living embodiment of a high school cliché?"
"Is that all you got white girl?"
"No, I'm just getting started. Dial down the attitude Mercedes, you're not from the block in fact you wouldn't last thirty seconds there. You think I'm selfish for wanting solos when you are guilty of the exact same thing, the difference is I actually worked hard and earned those solos which is something no one here can say. And Kurt, the perpetually tortured victim, there are two types of bullies; those who feel better by tearing other people down and those who were once bullied and gain satisfaction from no longer being the loser. Congratulations on being both."
"Mr. Schue aren't you going to stop her?" Tina asked shocked at what he was letting Rachel get away with saying.
"What's he going to do? Send me to Figgins for telling the truth?" Rachel spat out. "He can't, he never once stopped any of you from tearing me down, it would be hypocritical of him to stop me. So where was I? Puck, I honestly have nothing to say to you, I'm pretty sure fornicating with your best friend's girl and letting him carry the burden says all there is to know about you."
Despite himself Puck managed a smirk at Rachel, her fire was most definitely in full force, it was actually kind of beautiful to watch.
"Oh and Finn, how could I forget the most pious of them all. He who hates Quinn for cheating when he kissed me numerous times while he was with her, he who pretended to be interested in me so he could secure himself a scholarship and of course, he who blamed me for Jacob telling everyone Quinn's secret. What was it you called me? Pathetic? A loser? I'd look in the mirror because right now you are pathetic."
"Okay you've said your piece, we're all evil and you're innocent." Mercedes said rolling her eyes. "If we're so bad why are you even here?"
"It's not by choice." She retorted. "I was perfectly happy in New York, far away from you people but hey at least now that I'm back I can watch as karma bites each and every one of you on the butt."
"Prepare for yet another Rachel Berry storm out." Santana mocked, it was apt her fake breasts covered where her heart should be, a fake chest for a fake heart.
"Call it what you want but yes I am leaving. I have to go spend time with people who appreciate who I am and aren't intimidated or jealous of it. They are completely and totally secure in themselves."
Rachel turned towards the door, Artie maneuvering himself to follow.
"You're not seriously going with her are you Artie?"
"Oh now you all want to talk to me?" He scoffed. "Apart from Finn none of you have even so much as bothered to look at me since school started so yeah I'm going with her because at least she treats me like a human being. Sorry Finn, I'll text you later."
Finn nodded awkwardly at his friend, he could hardly blame him since he was going where he so desperately wanted to be.
"Who does that troll think she is?" Quinn snapped. "I can't believe you didn't stop her Mr. Schuester, you're supposed to be our teacher."
"I hardly think she said anything that was out of line." He told them honestly. "I've been guilty of turning a blind eye to the abuse she received from you all. I failed her as a teacher and if I continue to let you act as you have I will have failed you all as well. Rather than get indignant and self righteous I think you should all go home and take a good hard look at yourselves and the way you have treated your fellow students. You're all dismissed."
Finn hung back letting the group leave, they were still indignant despite their teachers words.
"I think you're right and I need your advice." Finn bit his lip, he couldn't believe he was going to his recently divorced teacher for romantic advice. "I want to show Rachel how sorry I am, show her that I'm sorry and I care about her."
"And you're coming to me? Not that I'm not glad you did but you must be really scrapping the bottom of the barrel huh?" Mr. Schuester laughed ruefully.
"I don't have anyone else to ask and I really need the help, I screwed up bad. She hates me."
"Well then lets start brainstorming." Mr. Schuester beckoned his student forward and started laying out suggestions; all things he himself had ever considered a romantic display.
GLEE
Hey guys, hope you enjoy this super-sized update. Sadly it comes with a price; I'm an Australian and my poor Queensland neighbours are having a horrible time; they've just started to rebuild after devastating floods and now have to prepare themselves for the worst cyclone in Australia's history. If you can help in anyway please do!
Song used in this chapter don't belong to me but they do belong to these talented gents:
20 Good Reasons – Thirsty Merc
Mountain – Chocolate Starfish
Plus blink and you'll miss it appearances by I Don't Want To Be – Gavin DeGraw and Smile – Marcel Marceau.